Kanye West's 15 Most Shocking Controversies: 'VMA' Blunder, Lewd Behavior, Racist Remarks and More
Sept. 8 2023, Published 5:00 a.m. ET
Kanye West's Blunder at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards
Kanye West dined at e.baldi restaurant with friends.
Kanye West looked like a party crasher when he attended the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2006.
Although he won the Best Hip Hop Artist award, he infamously crashed the stage while Justice and Simian received the Best Video for We Are Your Friends award. He grabbed the microphone and launched a tirade filled with expletives, telling the crowd that he should have won the award since his Touch The Sky music video "cost a million dollars" and "Pamela Anderson was in it."
"I was jumping across canyons," he said, adding, "If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility."
A few days later, West – who changed his name legally to Ye – told MTV News that he stormed the stage "out of raw emotion.
Kanye West Interrupted Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Award Speech
He was spotted shopping SUPREME in May with his wife, Bianca Censori, amid the controversies surrounding their fashion senses.
The Jesus Is King rapper extended his series of unsolicited comments when he committed one of his infamous moments in the industry at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
The blunder involved Taylor Swift, who won the Best Female Video award for her hit track, You Belong With Me. The Champagne Problems singer beat the other popular singers nominated in the category, including Beyoncé.
"Thank you so much!" Swift said in her acceptance speech. "I always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday, but I never actually thought it would have happened. I sing country music so thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA award."
However, West interrupted her and left the audience speechless as soon as he grabbed the microphone to announce that Queen Bey's video was one of the best of all time.
He returned the spotlight to Swift, who looked mortified and clueless about what happened.
West Challenged Michelle Obama
West enjoying his ice cream after a meeting in Calabasas.
West showed how proud he was of his then-wife, Kim Kardashian, but he did it in the most controversial way.
In 2013, he appeared on On Air with Ryan Seacrest to promote the KKW Beauty mogul to become the subject of a future Vogue cover story despite the fact that Anna Wintour banned her from the magazine events and any related materials.
He supported his pitch by saying Barbara Walters had been calling Kardashian every day and that they were the "most influential with clothing."
West's words did not satisfy him, so he took his promotion further by mentioning Michelle Obama.
"No one is looking at what [the president] is wearing. Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a [sexy swimsuit] pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day," he continued.
Controversial Racism Remark
West lost his major brands following his continuous antisemitism statements.
Long before his continuous racism issue started, West sparked criticism as early as 2015 when he told Clique TV that racism is a "dated" and "silly" concept.
"It's like a bouncing ball in a room with two cats, or something, when you don't feel like playing with a cat," West said. "Let them literally fight over the bouncing ball. And the bouncing ball has nothing, no purpose, anything other than that: it bounces. That's racism. It's not an actual thing that even means anything."
He Refused to Vote in the 2016 Election
Kanye West often speaks about his love and support for Donald Trump.
Before West's failed attempt to become the president in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, West showed his love for Donald Trump in 2016 and admitted he did not cast his vote at that time.
But if he did, the Donda singer said he would have voted for Trump because of his "genius approach."
West Launched Round 2 of Taylor Swift Feud
West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, but he claimed he was misdiagnosed.
The GOOD Music founder reignited his feud with Swift when he dropped the infamous track Famous from his The Life of Pablo album at his Yeezy show on February 9, 2016.
The track sparked controversy due to its lyrics, including the line "I feel like me and Taylor might still have s-- / Why? I made that b---- famous"). He claimed on X, formerly Twitter, that he got permission from the female singer in their hour-long phone call so he could namedrop her in the song.
He Snubbed the Grammys
His ex-business partners at The Gap filed a $2 million lawsuit against him.
West has a long list of snubs with Grammys, and he disparaged the Recording Academy in 2015.
When Beck won the Album of the Year award for Morning Phase, he rushed the stage again and looked like he would take the microphone from the winner again like he did in the past. But he walked away without saying anything.
He later said Beck outshining Beyoncé in the category was "disrespectful to inspiration."
"So, the voices in my head told me go, and then I just walked up, like, halfway up the stage," he told Ryan Seacrest. But I just didn't really want to take away from Beck's moment, or the time he's having to talk."
West added it was a kind of joke "like the Grammys themselves."
He Declared Bill Cosby as Innocent
The rapper faced several lawsuits over the past few years, including a case on allegations that he put the students of his academy in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
West made his way into people's nerves when he tweeted "Bill Cosby Innocent" in 2016.
He caused an uproar following his controversial tirade about the convicted 85-year-old comedian, who has been accused of sexual abuse by more than 60 women.
West declaration of Cosby's alleged innocence despite America's Dad's history of abuse left a bad taste in people's mouths, leading celebrities and the public to condemn him.
West's Infamous Statement About Slavery
He shares four children with Kim Kardashian: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.
The rapper's statement about slavery did not sit well with many people again.
When he appeared at the TMZ headquarters in 2018, West said, "slavery is a choice."
"When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice," the embattled rapper said. "When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice."
He Compared Queen Elizabeth II's Death to Losing Kim Kardashian
Kim filed for divorce from him in February 2021 and finalized it in November 2022.
West dropped another provocative statement when he appeared to have compared his split from Kardashian to Queen Elizabeth II's death.
"LONDON I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL," the rapper wrote on his Instagram Story post. "I LOST MY QUEEN TOO."
His "White Lives Matter" T-Shirts
He was linked to several women, including Irina Shayk, after his split from Kim.
The Gold Digger rapper made headlines left and right when he wore a White Lives Matter T-shirt at Paris Fashion Week, which also featured a photo of Pope John Paul II on the front.
Models on the catwalk of the show also wore the same clothing, which the Anti-Defamation League translated as a hate statement.
West Dropped Conspiracy Theory About George Floyd
More employees of his private school came together to name him a defendant in different lawsuits.
He caused widespread fake news when he claimed during his interview on the podcast Drink Champs that George Floyd died from fentanyl.
"They hit him with the fentanyl, if you look the guys knee wasn't even on his neck like that," West said, prompting Floyd's family to file a defamation lawsuit against him.
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He Dropped a Series of Antisemitic Statements
Madame Tussauds got rid of his wax figure in London.
The troubled rapper found himself in the hot water again following his antisemitism fallout that eventually caused him to lose deals and projects.
After his White Lives Matter controversy, he made an antisemitic post (which he already deleted) about rapper Diddy being controlled by Jewish people.
Diddy responded to his contentious claim and condemned his white supremacist phrase.
West's comment led to the restriction of his Instagram page, causing him to return to X, then-Twitter.
He used the platform to post more antisemitic remarks hours after logging in, writing tweets like: "I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE."
His antisemitism spree continued for months until he also referenced Adolf Hitler. President Joe Biden weighed in on X and reminded everyone, "Silence is complicity."
He Bragged About Maintaining Adidas – But Lost the Brand Eventually
He was also removed from the billionaire's list after losing his brands due to his controversial remarks.
Following West's antisemitic statements, Adidas announced that its partnership with the rapper was under review.
Despite that, the Yeezy founder expressed his confidence the brand would not end its business relationship with him no matter what he said.
"I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me," West assumed.
A few days later, Adidas announced the immediate dissolution of its partnership with the rapper because of his controversial comments.
"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said. "Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."
His Alleged "Lewd" Action With Bianca Censori
He wed Censori in a private ceremony in January.
When West came back earlier this year after missing in action for weeks, he returned with his "wife," Bianca Censori.
Over the past months since their secret wedding ceremony, West and Censori have been sparking issues because of how they present themselves to the public and their behavior.
Most recently, Italian boat company Venezia Turismo Motoscafi banned the couple for committing lewd behavior in public during one of their outings in Venice. Photos of the excursion captured the rapper with his pants down while Censori sat with her head between his legs.
