Jack Antonoff AirPods VMAs

Um, people think Jack Antonoff put AirPods in during Katy Perry’s VMAs performance?

‘Such loser behaviour’


It isn’t the MTV VMAs without a bit of drama – and it isn’t just Chappell Roan shouting at the photographer that’s bringing the chaos online. The latest saga is a video circulating showing Jack Antonoff putting something in his ears during the big medley Katy Perry performance as she celebrated her legacy and accepted the Video Vanguard award. But did Jack Antonoff actually put in AirPods during the VMAs Katy Perry performance or is this just stan Twitter wilding? Let’s examine the evidence.

As the context suggests from Twitter, despite the backlash and how it initially looks – Jack Antonoff is not actually putting in AirPods at the VMAs but more likely using ear plugs to protect his hearing. Whilst Katy Perry is having a suitably flop year, I doubt Jack would be putting them in and listening to something else at the VMAs because that would be ridiculous. Although, he has shaded Katy Perry before – when he praises Taylor Swift and her songwriting, Jack referred to the music of Perry and Gaga “throwaway, comparatively.” Ouch.

Despite the fact there seems to be a lot of online fury about AirPods-gate – people have been quick to clock that Jack Antonoff is trying to protect his hearing – considering it is literally his livelihood. He needs them in tiptop shape when producing to hear all the finer details, and you can kind of tell by the way Jack Antonoff at the VMAs wiggles them into his ear that it’s plugs over AirPods.

So, all in all – a random stan Twitter bit of drama where we need to open the schools. But the footage does look eyebrow raising if you didn’t know that everyone trying to be a bit kinder on their ears puts earplugs in these days for protection.

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Featured image by Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock