Many have wondered why Kanye West, now known as Ye, did not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration. The rapper has finally addressed the matter.
In an unreleased interview with Justin LaBoy, Ye revealed that he declined the invitation to Trump’s January inauguration because he was asked to issue another apology for his past anti-Semitic remarks.
“I was gonna go to the inauguration until [I was told] I had to write another apology saying, yeah, that I wasn’t… what’s the word?” he said. “It’s this censorship stigma.”
The 47-year-old rapper refused to apologize again, having already expressed remorse and apologized to the Jewish community in 2023 following the anti-Semitic controversy.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” he wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. “It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”
Kanye West and Donald Trump have had a complex relationship. In 2016, West endorsed Trump and was frequently seen wearing the red “Make America Great Again” hat. However, Trump reportedly disapproved of West’s anti-Semitic comments.
READ ALSO: Kanye West reveals when his ‘Bully’ album will be released
When West announced his own presidential run, he even asked Trump to be his running mate. After his campaign did not go as planned, West once again endorsed Trump during the 2024 election campaign.
The multiple award-winning rapper is preparing towards the released of his ‘Bully’ album.
He told Justin Laboy on Sunday, January 2, that the album will drop on June 15—his daughter North West’s birthday.
“My oldest said that we got to drop it in June,” Ye explained, referring to his 11-year-old daughter. North then asked, “Didn’t Yeezus come out on your birthday?” to which Kanye confirmed, “Yeah, so we’re gonna do it on her birthday. That’s when we’re gonna bring Bully out ’cause that’s her favorite album.”