Kanye West's Most Controversial Moments During His Career

Even those who aren't fans of Kanye West or Taylor Swift know about the infamous moment when Kanye stormed the VMAs stage and interrupted Swift's acceptance speech. This occurred in 2009 when Swift won the Best Female Video award. Unsatisfied with the results, West grabbed the microphone from Swift and declared, "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!"

In 2016, their feud reignited when West released the song "Famous," which included the lyric "I made that b***h famous." Swift's representative said that West never informed her about this line. The disagreement centered around a phone call where West claimed Swift had approved the lyric, but when the full call leaked in 2020, it showed that she hadn't. This revelation seemed to finally settle their conflict.

'Vogue' journalist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson attended Kanye West's Paris Fashion Week show where he introduced "White Lives Matter" shirts. She criticized the shirts on Instagram, calling them "pure violence" with no artistic value as per 'Insider'. She further explained that the idea behind the shirts justifies harmful actions like mass incarceration and slavery.

In response, West insulted her on Instagram, mocking her outfit instead of addressing her concerns. This led to support for Karefa-Johnson from model Gigi Hadid and 'Queer Eye' star Tan France. 'Vogue' defended Karefa-Johnson, stating on Instagram that she chose to meet with West and condemning his bullying as unacceptable. The magazine asserted, "Vogue stands with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, our global fashion editor at large and longtime contributor. She was personally targeted and bullied. It is unacceptable."

When it comes to Kim Kardashian, West can hardly contain himself. The rapper spilled the beans early about Kardashian's first pregnancy during a show in Atlantic City on December 31, 2012, just before the new year.

When you go to a concert, you probably expect to hear your favorite artist finish more than three songs. However, Kanye West fans know to expect the unexpected. During his 2016 'Saint Pablo' tour stop in Sacramento, West stopped his show in the middle of performing "Famous" to go on a 15-minute rant (via Fader).

He addressed the confused audience, claiming many fans "felt like they lost," and complained about Google, Facebook, and other social media spreading lies. West also criticized the radio play given to artists like Drake and DJ Khaled, commented on politics, and complained about Mark Zuckerberg. He ended by saying, "Get ready to have a field day, press," and canceled the rest of the show, making the entire concert only about 30 minutes long.

Kanye West announced his presidential run via a tweet on July 4, 2020: "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision, and building our future. I am running for president of the United States." His statement quickly gained attention, with many questioning his seriousness. In a bizarre 'Forbes' interview, West shared his political views, revealing he was running under the "Birthday Party" because "when we win, it's everybody's birthday." Despite making controversial statements and spontaneous freestyle raps, his campaign ultimately ended with West receiving 60,000 votes and zero delegates, despite spending almost $6 million.

West often stirs up controversy, but even his biggest fans might agree that his comments about his kids should stay private. In 2020, during his presidential campaign, West said that his wife, Kim Kardashian, had considered aborting their daughter, North. His remarks about his children have become more concerning, likely due to his divorce from Kardashian and her relationship with Pete Davidson. In February 2022, 'Page Six' reported that West, in a deleted Instagram post, accused Kardashian of keeping him from their daughter, Chicago, and kidnapping her.

In October 2021, West officially requested to legally change his name to Ye, which a judge signed off on at the time.