Cognac-swigging Kanye storms MTV stage; Grabs microphone

Kanye West stormed on stage to unleash an astonishing rant during an acceptance speech by country starlet Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards last night. The rapper ruined the 19-year-old singer's big moment by grabbing the microphone from her hands and insisting that the award for Best Female Video should have gone to Beyonce. Rudely interrupted: Kanye West grabs the microphone from Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards last night The rapper tells the stunned country starlet that Beyonce should be receiving the award instead of her

The hip hop star, who had been swigging Hennessy cognac on the red carpet, was booed by the celebrity-packed audience after interrupting the very first category of the night. Taylor Swift's video for You Belong To Me trumped Beyonce's Single Ladies video. She had breathlessly began her speech with the words, 'I always wondered what it would be like to maybe win one of these some day, but never actually thought it would happen'. But Kanye jumped up from his seat in the audience and rushed to grab the microphone from her hand.

Kanye West tells the audience Beyonce's single should have won Beyonce looks horrified as the rapper grabs the microphone from Taylor Swift and claims she should have won

He told the stunned star: 'Yo Taylor. I'm really happy for you, I'm going to let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.' Cameras cut to Beyonce in the audience during and after Kanye's embarrassing outburst, where she looked shocked and mortified. As Kanye shrugged off the boos and handed back the microphone, Taylor Swift looked shell-shocked, standing in the centre of the stage and seemingly unable to continue.

But she was given another chance to shine after Beyonce picked up the award for Best Video for Single Ladies. She told the audience about her first VMA win as a 17-year-old with Destiny's Child and how much it meant to her and then brought the teen singer back on stage to huge applause. The rapper was booed by the audience. He had earlier been spotted swigging alcohol on the red carpet

The pair, both dressed in bright red, embraced before Beyonce passed the microphone to Swift. MTV said Kanye West, who was spotted earlier on the red carpet drinking alcohol, was ejected from the awards show at Radio City Music Hall in New York.