Here’s what went down … Katy took to the stage at the UBS Arena in New York Wednesday evening, where she performed a medley of her greatest hits before accepting the show’s coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

While the consensus online was that KP killed it in her VMAs performance, one person seemed less than impressed with her act … as the music producer was caught on the audience camera slipping some noise-canceling plugs into his ears.

As the footage began making the rounds online, many of Katy’s loyal fans called out Taylor Swift’s frequent collaborator for being "so disrespectful." Many believed Jack purposefully shaded Katy with the earplugs, to transmit his dislike of the singer.

If Jack was really trying to shade Katy, it wouldn’t be surprising given their complicated history. For those not clued in, Jack has taken shots at Katy a handful of times amid her former feud with his BFF, Taylor.

There was a time in 2014 when Jack referred to Katy’s music as "throwaway" compared to Taylor’s. He also helped Taylor produce her 2016 revenge album, “Reputation” … when the pop star is rumored to have penned her anthem "Bad Blood" about Katy.

Not to mention, Jack infamously ate a banana during Katy's opening monologue at the 2017 MTV VMAs ... an incident that also saw him blasted as disrespectful.

However, not everyone is sold that Jack's behavior was meant to be shady. Several fans have voiced support for Jack, suggesting he likely put in earplugs to protect his hearing ... a common practice among music producers and sound mixers while out at loud events.

Not to mention, Katy and Taylor's beef has long been squashed ... with TS even dancing and cheering the whole time during KP's performance Wednesday night. Remember, the 2 pop stars seemed to bury the hatchet after Katy sent Taylor a literal olive branch in 2018 before the start of the 'Reputation' tour.

So, it may be wise for fans to shake off this drama ... because it could be a whole lot of nothing.