Kanye West controversies! A look at the most bizarre things he has done or said

Kanye West always manages to be in news for the wrong reasons. From interrupting Taylor Swift's MTV VMA winners speech on stage year back to proclaiming love for estranged wife Kim Kardashian and relentlessly pursuing her to now walking up to footwear brand Skechers office uninvited a day after Adidas terminated its partnership with the rapper- West has grabbed headlines more for his antics than his work. 

Here's a look at the most bizarre stunts that West has pulled off in public in the recent years. 

One of the most famous celebrities feud of all time. Kanye West and Taylor Swift's decade-long feud started at the MTV VMAs a few years back when Kanye jumped on stage and interrupted Taylor Swift acceptance speech of Best Female Video Award for 'You Belong With Me' and declared that the actual winner was Beyonce. "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you. I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!", Kanye said on stage.

Starting from the VMAs, the feud had so many ups and downs from both telling their side, to West even calling Swift a b***h.

Kanye West's most controversial Saint Pablo tour! Apart from his rants about other musicians, Kanye West took everything to the next step when he supported Donald Trump in 2016 during the presidential run. He even met the president-elect at Trump Tower to discuss multicultural issues and eventually contested as an independent candidate for the Presidential elections in 2020. He lost of course. 

Kanye's 'Famous' video was so controversial that netizens even talk about it to date. The controversial video features 12 naked celebrities in bed along with Kanye and Kim. The music video shows naked wax figures of Taylor Swift, George W Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby.  

In his interview, Kanye once said, "When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.''The rapper went on to add, "You were there for 400 years and it's all of y'all. It's like we're mentally imprisoned." As his words lit Twitter on fire, Kanye tried to explain what he meant actually. 

"To make myself clear. Of course, I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved. The reason why I brought up the 400 years point is that we can't be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years. We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought. It was just an idea. Once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas."

Did you know Kanye was in $53M debt in the year 2016? West made headlines when he begged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Twitter to invest $1 billion into his “ideas,” because he was personally $53 million in debt.

During his presidential run, Kanye West caused a stir on Twitter when he referred to his mother-in-law as “Kris Jong-Un” in a series of now-deleted posts. Sharing his thoughts about his relationships with his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, and his wife, Kim Kardashian, the rapper said, “They tried to fly in with 2 doctors to 51/50 me. I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf for ‘prison reform.’ I got 200 more to go. This my lady tweet of the night … Kris Jong-Un. Lil baby my favorite rapper but won’t do a song wit me."

Kim Kardashian has so far had the longest relationship with Kanye West; the father of her four beautiful kids. After years of romance, they officially filed for divorce in 2021. Now, months later, the couple is again in the headline as Kanye made several attempts to reconcile with Kim, and later he expressed his regret over his escalated actions involving his ex. 

In early 2022 Kanye addressed his consistent use of capital letters in all his Instagram photo captions and across his social media and his decision to post private texts between himself and Kardashian on several occasions on his public account, prompting her at one point to ask why Ye can’t keep any of their conversations private.

He also acknowledged that his interaction with Kardashian was perceived as harassment by many. 

“I know sharing screenshots was jarring and came off as harassing Kim. I take accountability,” he wrote. “I’m still learning in real-time. I don’t have all the answers. To be [a] good leader is to be a good listener.”

Kanye said that his recent posts, which now stand deleted from Instagram appeared that he was screaming. “I’ve learned that using all caps makes people feel like I’m screaming at them.”

 

Kanye West turned heads at 2022 Paris Fashion week as he turned up at the event wearing a T-shirt that read 'White Lives Matter'. He arrived at the surprise PFW show for his brand Yeezy's Season 9 collection in a controversial t-shirt that was emblazoned with the Pope's face on the front and had "White Lives Matter" printed on the back. Some models showcasing the Yeezy collection also donned similar t-shirts.

The move followed by a Twitter tirade about Jews, cost Kanye lucrative deals as Balenciaga, GAP and Adidas severed ties with him. West, once a billionaire, has lost the status in matter of weeks and his net worth now stands at USD 400 million. 

A day after Adidas ended its multi-million deal with Kanye West over his anti-Semitic comments, he showed up uninvited at the footware maker Skechers' office in Los Angeles, California, presumably in hope of a new deal. 

The 'Gold Digger' rapper was escorted out of the building after having a brief conversation with two officials, the organisation said in a statement. 

It said the rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, arrived at their office building ''unannounced and without invitation."