Kanye West’s ‘SNL’ Performance Prompts FCC Complaints

Kanye West’s performance on Saturday Night Live last month prompted several complaints to the FCC, according to a report by Rolling Stone.

West was the musical guest on the season 44 premiere of SNL. He performed his songs, “I Love It” and “We Got Love,” and he pushed the envelope on network TV rules. Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, Rolling Stone obtained over a dozen formal complaints to the FCC about West’s performances. They decried his cursing in several instances, as well as a sheer shirt that Teyana Taylor wore with no bra underneath.

West and Lil Pump came out dressed as bottles of water for his first song, “I Love It.” While they changed the chorus from “you’re such a f—ing h—” to “you’re such a freaky girl” for TV, some other lyrics remained the same. West wrapped “I’m a sick f—, I like a quick f—” quickly, side-stepping censors entirely.

Several of the complaints noted the slip-up, writing that West had “dropped the F-bomb on live network TV.” However, many of them were much more focused on West’s second song, “We Got Love,” where he did a duet with Taylor. The rapper came out in a a sheer top which exposed her midsection and, some argued, showed her nipples on TV. Her outfit was later censored before the clip was uploaded to YouTube, but those who watched the live broadcast still got their complaints in.

Rolling Stone noted that most of the complaints had come from the middle part of the country. At least one came from Hawaii, while others came from southern parts of Florida. Many asked to see West or Saturday Night Live fined for the curse words and the semi-nudity.

“Why did I hear Kanye West and his male rapper accomplice shout out the F-word a half dozen times?,” one complaint read. “Were the NBC censors asleep?… PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND FINE!!!”

“Kanye West used the term BULLS—,” wrote another. “Children are watching the news every day and this should not be tolerated.”

“The female performer was basically topless onstage dancing,” added a third complaint. “There was nothing left to the imagination. You can see her nipples and full breasts.”

Many of those who wrote in were intent on seeing some action taken by the FCC. They suggested fines and other punishments for the show.

“I was waiting to hear the next day that they had been fined by the FCC, but I have heard no such news,” one read. “Is this sort of thing acceptable now? I remember Janet Jackson being heavily fined for baring [sic] her breast on national TV. Have the rules changed? I hope this is still considered indecent and you are fining SNL and the performers?”

It is still unclear if the FCC is investigating, or if any punishments are on the way for NBC.