Bebe Rexha has revealed that Taylor Swift privately reached out to support her after the singer said some fashion designers had declined to dress her for the 2019 Grammy Awards because of her size.
Speaking on the red carpet at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, 27 September, Rexha revisited the controversy that erupted seven years earlier, when she said some designers had considered her too big to dress despite her being a US size 6/8. Rexha said Swift was among those who contacted her privately at the time.
'I couldn't find a dress, and she had reached out to me because we're the same age,' Rexha told E! News. The 37-year-old singer said the gesture stood out because relatively few people contacted her personally during the controversy.
Taylor Swift Made Rexha Feel Like She Belonged
Rexha said Swift's status as a major music star made the private gesture particularly meaningful to her. 'Nobody really reached out — like some people did, but for her, at such a high level, to make me feel like I belong was really, really nice,' Rexha said.
The dispute began in January 2019, weeks before Rexha was due to attend the Grammy Awards. Rexha had been nominated for Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for 'Meant to Be', her collaboration with Florida Georgia Line.
In a video shared on social media, Rexha publicly said members of her team were struggling to secure a designer to dress her for the ceremony. She said several declined because of her size.
'And a lot of them do not want to dress me because I'm too big. Literally, like, I'm too big,' Rexha said at the time. Rexha then revealed she was a US size 6/8.
'If a size 6/8 is too big then... I dunno what to tell you,' she said. The singer did not publicly identify the designers she said had rejected her.
Rexha Challenged Designers Over Size 8 Rejection
The singer's frustration extended beyond her own difficulty finding a Grammy dress. In the caption accompanying her 2019 video, Rexha criticised designers who would not dress women because they were not considered a runway size. She also criticised what she saw as the implication that women who were size 8 or above were less likely to be considered suitable for designer clothing.
The comments attracted widespread attention. Designer Christian Siriano publicly offered to dress Rexha after her comments. His offer was separate from the unnamed designers Rexha said had declined to dress her.
Other public figures, including Tyra Banks, Adam Lambert and Mayim Bialik, also voiced support for Rexha following her remarks. Rexha ultimately attended the 2019 Grammys in a voluminous red Monsoori gown.
Seven Years Later, Rexha Reveals Swift's Role
Rexha revisited the episode while attending this year's VMAs, where she was nominated for Best Dance for 'New Religion' with Faithless.
For the 2026 ceremony, Rexha wore an all-black look by Dreaming Elie. During her red-carpet interview, she recalled Swift reaching out because, as Rexha remembered it, the two singers were the same age then.
The singer described Swift's decision to contact her as 'really, really, really kind'. Her disclosure adds another detail to a controversy that originally centred on Rexha's claims about the standards that influenced which women's bodies designers considered suitable for their clothes.
Bebe Rexha has continued to speak publicly about body image in the years since, while the 2019 dispute remains an example she has used when discussing her experiences with fashion and expectations surrounding women's bodies.
