In the three and a half weeks since Kanye West reactivated his Twitter account, he’s burned a lot of bridges with his outward support of President Donald Trump and controversial statements.
The rapper already had a reputation for outlandish statements on the social media platform. He left social media about a year ago, in May of 2017. However, some of his best work lived on in screenshots and quotes.
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“I’m ready to get out of my own way,” West tweeted back in the day. “The ego is overdone… it’s like hoodies.”
“Dear Santa Claus,” he wrote in 2014, “tell me what gift you would like to have this year.”
Perhaps his most beloved tweet, where many fans believe he captured his own essence perfectly, came in February of 2014.
“Have you ever thought you were in love with someone but then realized you were just staring in a mirror for 20 minutes?”
These days, West’s tweets have taken a different tone. He has espoused ongoing support for President Donald Trump, posted a selfie in a “Make America Great Again” hat and diminished any criticism of his posts to impediments on his “free thought.”
West first voiced his support for President Trump in 2015, though many of his fans have tried to ignore it. As the Trump campaign gained traction, West announced his intention to run for president himself in 2020, though she soon changed the plan to 2024, implying his hope that President Trump will serve two terms.
West even met with Trump in Trump Tower on Dec. 13, 2016, according to a report by USA Today. He and the then-president-elect discussed “bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculum, and violence in Chicago,” West’s hometown.
West later deleted all of his pro-Trump tweets in February of 2017, admitting that he hadn’t actually voted, though he would have cast his ballot for Trump if he had. Sources close to West told TMZ at the time that he was not pleased with the president’s travel ban on Muslim people, among other executive actions. However, after a troubled year, West returned to the spotlight this month as pro-Trump as ever.
The rapper’s recent rhetoric has driven fans and even celebrity fans to put space between him and them. His statements have been condemned by a number of big Twitter icons, and some have even unfollowed him. Here’s a look at some of the biggest.
Pop Crave report
A celebrity gossip account called Pop Crave reported last week that West had been unfollowed by a number of celebrity accounts, including Justin Bieber, BTS, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar.
Justin Bieber, BTS, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and Kendrick Lamar are among the artists who have unfollowed Kanye West on Twitter after his open support of Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/UF1uw2IYH6
โ Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 25, 2018
The outlet used the Does Follow app to check all of the celebrities’ following status. Some of the stars are now following West again.
Jaden Smith
Jaden Smith also unfollowed West. It was no surprise, as Smith collaborated with Shia Labeouf on an art installation called He Will Not Divide Us to oppose the administration.
False Idols
โ Jaden Smith (@officialjaden) April 25, 2018
“False Idols,” Smith tweeted on April 25, apparently in reference to West.
John Legend
John Legend reportedly unfollowed West for a while after one of his Twitter outbursts, though he’s now following the rapper again.
โ KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Legend has become an important figure in West’s activity online. On Thursday, April 26, West posted a screen shot of his text conversation with the singer, where Legend attempted to talk some sense into him. Later, he posted a selfie of the two together to assure his followers that they were on good terms. He’s tweeted more of their conversations since.
Far too many people don’t have the luxury of closing their eyes and ears. They feel it in their lives and can’t act like what they see and know doesn’t exist.
โ John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
Samuel L. Jackson
While he still follows West, Samuel L. Jackson had some harsh words for him, echoing other fans who said he had fallen into “The Sunken Place” from Get Out.
So, theyโre streaming music in The Sunken Place?? Thatโs got Be where the audience @kanyewest is courting is gonna buy that new release!#shallwesavehim#hedonโtwannabesaved
โ Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) April 26, 2018
“So, they’re streaming music in The Sunken Place?? That’s got Be where the audience [Kanye West] is courting is gonna buy that new release!” he wrote.
Rosie O’Donnell
Rosie O’Donnell was furious with West for his chosen political side, responding to one of his tweets with profane outrage.
“You don’t have to agree with trump but the mob can’t make me not love him,” West wrote last Wednesday. “We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”
You don’t have to agree with trump but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.
โ KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
“hes a fโing moron kanye – wake from the illusion” O’Donnell wrote.
hes a fucking moron kanye – wake from the illusion
โ ROSIE (@Rosie) April 25, 2018
Kendrick Lamar
As much as West self-identifies as a genius, recently Kendrick Lamar has been the golden boy of hip hop music. He recently won a Pulitzer Prize for his album last year, and he’s considered a voice for the black community.
Many outlets are reporting that Lamar unfollowed West, but as of Wednesday, it’s not true. Lamar is still following the rapper, even after his statement on Tuesday suggesting that slavery was “a choice.”
Jordan Peele
Another high-profile voice that hasn’t directly condemned west is Jordan Peele, who directed last year’s Get Out. Many of West’s tweets drew comparisons to the “Sunken Place,” a hypnotic state black people are lulled into in the movie.
do this look like the sunken place ? pic.twitter.com/ixzKnaaaSy
โ KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
After West tweeted a photo of his place, asking sarcastically if it looked like the Sunken Place, Peele countered with his own sarcasm.
*Gets inspired
โ Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) April 25, 2018
*Starts writing โGet Out 2โ https://t.co/zqOW6Xxx9v
Katy Perry
Katy Perry discretely unfollowed West in the midst of his controversial posts. While the two have never worked closely together, but it was still seen as a big sleight from another star.
Van Lathan
TMZ writer Van Lathan delivered an impassioned rebuttal to West during his appearance on TMZ Live earlier this week. He accused West of misusing his power, repeatedly telling him “your voice is too big.
If Lathan was following West before, he isn’t now. The rapper is not among the 2,800+ accounts Lathan is following.