The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
John Legend says Kanye West was ‘very upset’ with him following failure to support his presidential bid
‘It’s up to him whether he can get past that,’ Legend said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.John Legend has revealed that Kanye West was “very upset” with him as Legend didn’t support his 2020 presidential bid.
The 43-year-old singer said that he and West – who has legally changed his name to Ye – ultimately severed ties after Legend supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 presidential election instead of the rapper.
Kanye West announced his US presidential election campaign via Twitter in July 2020. He reportedly spent around £9.2m on this initiative.
In a recent New Yorker profile, Legend, who is expecting another child with his wife Chrissy Teigen, candidly spoke about what ended his friendship with Ye.
“I don’t feel like politics should be everything in your relationships, and your relationships with people shouldn’t only be determined by who they voted for,” he said, in reference to Ye’s presidential run. “But I do believe that certain things you believe in are indicators of your character, and obviously that will affect your friendships.
“I don’t want to live a life that’s so consumed by politics that it’s the sole determinant of who can be my friend and who can’t,” Legend added. “But values matter and character matters and moral compass matters.”
Speaking of Ye, the “All of Me” singer said: “I don’t know what will happen [with Kanye] in the future, but he was very upset with me that I didn’t support him and I supported Joe Biden.
“It’s up to him whether he can get past that.”
Earlier this year, Legend also revealed that his and Ye’s friendship suffered when the rapper publicly supported Donald Trump’s US presidency.
“[Kanye and I] aren’t friends as much as we used to be. I honestly think because we publicly disagreed on his running for office, his supporting Trump, I think it became too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly,” Legend said during an appearance on the CNN podcast The Axe Files with David Axelrod.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Ye’s support of Trump’s presidency included a much-publicised visit to the Oval Office and repeatedly wearing “Make America Great Again” baseball hats. Then, in 2020, West decided to run for president as a rival to Trump.
Legend, on the other hand, is a reliable supporter of the Democratic party in the US. He performed at the presidental inauguration of Barack Obama and campaigned for Hillary Clinton.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments