It ain’t easy being Yeezy! Throughout his career, Kanye West hasn’t shied away from controversy. In fact, he has a tendency to stir the pot.
Whether he’s speaking his mind or calling out a fellow celebrity for something he doesn’t agree with, West is nothing if not vocal about his beliefs.
When it comes to OMG moments, the designer, who shares four children with Kim Kardashian, is often front and center.
At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, West left his mark after he infamously interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video.
The rapper jumped on stage and took over the mic, saying, “I’m going to let you finish,” before declaring that Beyoncé “had one of the best videos of all time.”
A decade later, West stood by his claim, telling Nick Cannon in September 2020 that “If God didn’t want me to run on stage and say, ‘Beyoncé had the best video,’ he wouldn’t have sat me in the front row.”
In May 2018, the Georgia native shocked fans when he made comments about slavery. “You hear about slavery for 400 years. 400 years? That sounds like a choice,” he said during a TMZ Live interview. “Like, that was there for 400 years and it’s all of ya’ll? It’s, like, we’re mentally in a prison. I like the word ‘prison’ because slavery is too direct to the idea of Blacks.”
West again surprised fans when he made controversial statements about Kardashian and abortion in July 2020 as a part of his first presidential rally campaign.
During his South Carolina political appearance, the artist revealed that when the KKW Beauty founder got pregnant with their eldest child, North, the pair almost terminated the pregnancy. “We talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand,” he recalled. “I called my wife and she said, ‘We’re gonna have this baby.’ I said, ‘We’re gonna have this child.’”
He followed up the presidential candidate speech with a tweetstorm of accusations directed at his family, claiming, “Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughter’s life yesterday.” He also called Kris Jenner “Kris Jong-Un” in a since-deleted tweet and told her she was “not allowed around my children.”
As the drama made headlines, Kardashian publicly addressed the Grammy winner’s mental health struggles and a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the reality star was meeting with lawyers to discuss ending her marriage. In February 2021, Us confirmed that Kardashian filed for divorce after almost seven years of marriage.
Scroll down to see some of West’s most outrageous moments throughout his career.
In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina's devastation in 2005, celebrities rushed to provide aid any way they could. West, who helped host NBC's A Concert for Hurricane Relief alongside Mike Myers, however, decided to use the opportunity to go off-script and claim that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
West felt like he was on a straight trajectory to sweep award shows in 2006, so when the rapper lost out to Justice and Simian's "We Are Your Friends" for Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards in November 2006, he couldn't hide his disgust, going onstage to rant about his loss. Dave Hogan/Getty Images for MTV
West's 2006 Rolling Stone cover said it all. The "Jesus Walks" rapper donned a crown of thorns and had streaks of what looked like blood dripping down his face for the controversial, unapologetic cover.
After being nominated for five awards at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards and losing all five (including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year), an angry West went on-record, vowing that he would never come back to the awards ceremony ever again. He returned two years later. George Napolitano/FilmMagic
No, Kanye, tell us how you really feel. West didn't hold back his opinions about Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival in 2008 after his set was pushed back nearly two hours. His main beef was with the organizers of the festival, whom he called "squid brains" in an epic rant on his blog. Dove Shore/Getty Images
West wasn't too happy when a photographer and a videographer tried to get footage of the rapper at LAX in September 2008, so much so that he got into a physical scuffle with the paparazzi — and was summarily arrested. George Pimentel/FilmMagic
No one is a bigger fan of Kanye than, well, Kanye. West took to his site Kanyeuniversecity.com in January 2009 to boast of his own accomplishments, sharing a photo of himself performing at President Obama's Inaugural Ball, with the caption: "LOOK HOW FRESH MY SUIT IS." Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
West proudly debuted his high top sneakers in conjunction with Louis Vuitton in January 2009, and was so proud of his accomplishment that he asked fans and foes to address him as "Martin Louis the King, Jr." moving forward. Eric Ryan/Getty Images
West made a splash at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards — for a category he wasn't even nominated in. When country sweetheart Taylor Swift hopped onstage to accept the top honors for Best Female Video, West wasn't far behind, grabbing the statuette from Swift and famously declaring, "I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
File this under "Say what?" West claimed he had his feelings hurt after he was made into an animated version of himself for an April 2009 episode of South Park. "South Park murdered me last night," he wrote on his blog.
West aimed to shock with his envelope-pushing music video for track "Monster" in January 2011, and shock he did. The Jake Nava-directed video featured West having a menage a trios with two women and getting groped by a number of writhing hands. Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images
When it comes to Kim Kardashian, West can hardly contain himself. The rapper let the cat out of the bag early and announced Kardashian's first pregnancy during a show in Atlantic City on December 31, 2012, just ahead of the new year. Steven Lawton/FilmMagic
West made headlines in March 2013 when he slammed Justin Timberlake and pal Jay-Z's hit "Suit & Tie" during a concert in London, telling the audience, "I got love for Hov, but I ain't f--kin' with that 'Suit & Tie.'" Timberlake later addressed the diss on Jimmy Fallon, saying that he "absolutely" loves Kanye. Marc Ausset-Lacroix/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
West rejoined Twitter in April 2018 and shortly after began writing about his support for President Donald Trump. “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,” the rapper wrote. “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.” Trump thanked West for his remarks shortly after. Meanwhile, many celebrities including Wendy Williams and Rosie O’Donnell slammed the designer for his views and the rapper lost followers in just one day. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
The rapper revealed in May 2018 that he went under the knife following brother-in-law Rob Kardashian’s body image battle. Rob made headlines in May 2014 for flying home from Paris right before Kim and West’s wedding because he felt insecure. “I had plastic surgery because I was trying to look good for ya’ll,” West told TMZ Live in May. “I got liposuction cause I didn’t want ya’ll to call me fat like you called Rob at the wedding and fly home before me and Kim got married. I didn’t want ya’ll to call me fat so I got liposuction.” TMZ
West was heavily criticized for comments he made about slavery in a May 2018 interview with TMZ Live. “You hear about slavery for 400 years. 400 years? That sounds like a choice,” he said on the show. “Like, that was there for 400 years and it’s all of ya’ll? It’s, like, we’re mentally in a prison. I like the word ‘prison’ because slavery is too direct to the idea of blacks.” TMZ
“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! #2020VISION,” the designer tweeted in July 2020, announcing his bid for the White House. At the time, a source told Us Weekly that “Kanye believes in supporting big-business tax breaks but also more stimulus and opportunities for minorities and Black people. He believes in massive education reform and wants to build world-class infrastructure projects.” Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock
In his first presidential campaign rally in South Carolina in July 2020, West discussed him and Kim almost aborting their first child. “We talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand,” he recalled. “I called my wife and she said, ‘We’re gonna have this baby.’ I said, ‘We’re gonna have this child.’” He also claimed that Harriet Tubman “never actually freed” the dozens of enslaved people she took through the Underground Railroad, before rambling about his “genius” IQ. During the rally, West said he doesn’t care whether he wins the presidency, adding, “I care that there are homeless people in front of the Gucci store.” MEGA
The “Heartless” rapper made headlines once again in July 2020 after he posted a series of tweets with allegations against Kim and his mother-in-law, Jenner. “Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughter’s life yesterday,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet. The next day, West claimed that he’d been considering a divorce from the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star for nearly two years. “I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek [Mill] at the Warldolf [sic] for ‘prison reform’ I got 200 more to go This my lady [sic] tweet of the night … Lil baby my favorite rapper but won’t do a song wit me,” he tweeted and then deleted. He also claimed that Jenner wasn’t allowed to see his children after she “tried to lock me up” and later called her “Kris Jong-Un.” Shutterstock
The “Jesus Walks” singer made his thoughts on recording contracts and music ownership known in September 2020. After West declared that he wouldn’t release new music until his contracts with his publisher, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and his label, Universal Music Group, ended, he called the music industry’s practices “modern day slavery.” He then shared a video of himself peeing on one of his Grammy trophies, which he placed in his toilet. “Trust me … I WON’T STOP,” he captioned the Twitter clip. Broadimage/Shutterstock
During a listening party for his album Donda in August 2021, West made headlines when he recreated his 2014 wedding with Kim six months after they called it quits. After appearing to light himself on fire, the rapper was joined by the beauty mogul who was wearing a wedding dress. Laurent Vu/SIPA/Shutterstock
In October 2021, West officially requested to legally change his name to Ye, which a judge signed off on at the time. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
As the KUWTK alum moved on with Pete Davidson, West claimed that he never received any divorce papers from Kardashian. “SNL making my wife say ‘I divorced him’ on TV because they just wanted to get that bar off, and I never have seen the papers. We’re not even divorced,” he said during an appearance on Revolt’s “Drink Champs” podcast in November 2021, referring to his estranged wife's SNL monologue one month prior. “So how we — because [it’s] no joke to me, my kids want their parents to stay together. I want their parents — I want us to be together.” MediaPunch/Shutterstock
While performing at the Free Larry Hoover event in December 2021, West made a public plea for the Selfish author while performing "Runaway," singing, "I need you to run right back to me. More specifically, Kimberly." One day later, Us confirmed that the California native had filed paperwork requesting to be declared legally single and to restore her last name. London Entertainment/Shutterstock
After West publicly bashed his estranged wife for allowing North to use social media in February 2022, Kim made a candid comment on the situation via Instagram. “Kanye’s constant attacks on me in interviews and on social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create,” she wrote at the time. “As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision — because it brings her happiness. Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye’s obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all.” Days later, West shared photos from Kim's March 2022 Vogue cover story that featured the reality star with the duo's children. “GOD PLEASE BRING OUR FAMILY BACK TOGETHER,” he captioned the since-deleted post. That same week, he released a song called "City of Gods" that seemingly referenced Kardashian's romance with Davidson. “This afternoon, a hundred goons pullin’ up to SNL (What?) / When I pull up, it’s dead on arrival,” he rapped in his verse on the track. “They act like they love you, they don’t even like you / They throw a party, won’t even invite you / I seen the same thing happen to Michael / You Black and you rich, they sayin’ you psycho (What?), it’s like a cycle.” Zacharie Scheurer/AP/Shutterstock; Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
In February 2022, West threatened to cancel his planned Coachella appearance if fellow headliner Billie Eilish didn't apologize to Travis Scott for comments seemingly about the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 people dead. “Literally never said a thing about Travis," the Oscar nominee replied in the comments of West's post about her. "Was just helping a fan.” Shutterstock (2)
In one of his headline-making February 2022 Instagram posts, West called out Jenner's boyfriend, Corey Gamble. “God has a plan to remove the godless Corey needed to never be here anyway,” he wrote in the since-deleted post. “And I think he’s a nice person Not a great person A nice person who used to be around Puff’s family then got around Justin Bieber and then when Kris got divorced he slid in." The rapper went on to claim that he had Gamble "removed" from his daughter's birthday party after he gave Kardashian some music recommendations. “We still never met his family And I guess we never will He got my wife linked with the liberals in a deep way That was his Job For some reason I always felt he worked for DuPont or some organization in that pedigree." Shutterstock (2)
In March 2022, West shocked his fans when he released a music video for Eazy that included him kidnapping, decapitating and then burning a claymation version of Davidson. The rapper addressed the backlash to his video that same month, writing via Instagram, "Art is therapy just like this view. Art is protected as freedom of speech. Art inspires and simplifies the world. Art is not a proxy for any ill or harm. Any suggestion otherwise about my art is false and mal intended." A source exclusively told Us at the time that the SNL star was attempting to "downplay the impact" of the video, saying, "Pete is trying to make out like he finds Kanye’s pranks hilarious, but nobody really believes him. He actually feels sorry for the guy, but at the same time, he just wishes he could be left alone." According to the insider, Kardashian was even less thrilled about West's artistic expression. "She was appalled by this stunt and is rapidly losing the little patience she had left at this point," the source said. "She found it really disturbing and is fearful of what could come of it." Courtesy The Game/YouTube
West was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours in March 2022 after using racial slurs to slam Trevor Noah’s criticism of his constant digs at Kardashian and Davidson. The Daily Show host responded to the rapper's confrontational social media upload at the time, calling the comment "stupid." Noah wrote, “Don’t ever forget, the biggest trick racists ever played on black people was teaching us to strip each other of our blackness whenever we disagree. Tricking us into dividing ourselves up into splinters so that we would never unite into a powerful rod." Shutterstock (2)
In a May 2022 episode of Hulu's The Kardashians, West arrived to pick up his kids from the SKKN by Kim founder's house in a firetruck, which his estranged wife described as “a very Kanye way” to take the little ones to school. The children got to play with the lights and sirens while wearing firefighter helmets before they were dropped off for class. “I think sometimes are kind of bashful to be super dads,” West told the cameras while holding Chicago. “Everybody wants to be, like, the cool dad and sometimes you just gotta, like, wear the fire hat, you know what I mean? Sometimes you’ve got to wear the Easter Bunny costume.” Hulu
West returned to Instagram in September 2022, calling “Tristan, Trav, Scott” his fellow “c—m donors” amid a rant about where his kids will be going to school. He also slammed Kardashian and her mom, Kris. “You don’t have so so [sic] over my black children and where they go to school. They will not do playboy and sex tapes. Tell your Clinton friends to come get me, I’m here,” he wrote in a text message screenshot shared via Instagram. West also shared an alleged message from Kris via Kardashian: “From my mom - PLEASE. Tell him to please stop mentioning my name. I'm almost 67 years old and I don't always feel great and this stresses me to no end.” In another post, he wrote: “Anybody that says I’m spiraling when I express the undeniable truths is a sheep. STFU and worry about your own kids. I obviously am dealing with wars at the highest level of control and discrimination based on the level I’m operating at. A conductor gotta turn they back to the audience to direct the orchestra. ‘Oh Ye crazy’ is basic as f–k at this point. I’m simply right. I know girls who sell p—y that don’t agree with how my daughters are displayed.” Shutterstock (3)
Despite his failed attempt to run for president in 2020, West told ABC News two years later that he "absolutely" wants to campaign again in the future. “That time wasn’t in God’s time," he said in 2022, though he declined to reveal when he wanted to return to politics. Cindy Barrymore/Shutterstock
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