Kanye West, now known by his stage name Ye, is no stranger to controversy. In the past, he has been noted for his public outbursts and egotistical statements. And, he has recently become the subject of yet another controversy with his outbursts against his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, Pete Davidson. According to Buzzfeed, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have been together since November of 2021, and despite the media describing their relationship as slow and steady, West's reaction to their relationship has been anything but kind. In fact, many would consider it borderline abusive, and some are even pondering canceling Kanye West altogether. But can West be canceled for his actions?
The case against West is undoubtedly strong. West has made threats of violence against Pete Davidson. Recently, he had posted a music video in which a doll resembling him murders a doll resembling Davidson, as reported by USAToday. Nothing else best exemplifies this dispute than this claymation video posted on Youtube. For many people, it is a sign that West’s dispute with Davidson had gone too far. Now he was not only actively speaking about fighting Davidson but also seeking to murder him. No matter what justification someone may come up with, no one can deny this was a threat and a severe one at that. West might find his actions funny, but he may be the only one laughing. His ex-wife certainly does not find this situation funny at all.
In another incident reported by Independent, he shared private messages with Kim Kardashian in which she begged him not to encourage his fans to hurt Davidson. West responded by sharing a picture of a man choke-holding another and telling his fans on Instagram that he would deal with Davidson himself. Yet again, another threat of violence from West’s official Instagram page in which he has millions of followers. This incident is enough to provoke outrage, and if the music video had never been published, this incident alone would’ve been enough cause for concern. And all of this has finally caused Davidson to reach Kanye West.
West had recently shared images and messages with Davidson on his Instagram page. In an exchange before the music video came out, Davidson asked West to make amends, and West refused. In another exchange after the music video, Davidson lashed out at West for his behavior and shared a picture of him in Karadashin's bed. He then demanded that West get professional help for his mental illness and anger issues. Though it might come off as harsh to some, Davidson’s actions come out of frustration. Unlike West, he did not threaten anyone nor sought to harm anyone. It’s a stark contrast between the abusive tone West employs against Davidson and the tone of the messages Davidson sent.
After all, the comedian has spent months trying to befriend West and put this mess behind the two of them. However, West refuses to let this dispute die down. He will involve the public, post their disputes on social media and lash out against Davidson and Kardashian on social media and in his music. He wants everyone in the world to know how he loathes Davidson and how much he resents his ex-wife for being with another man. Despite Kardashian's pleas for him to stop all of this, he does not listen. He seemingly cares very little for the safety and well-being of Davidson. While at first, this dispute might have come off as a bitter ex trying to get back at his ex-wife, now it’s become worrisome. The longer this dispute continues and the more threats West makes against Davidson, the more concerning it becomes.
Many people across the internet have implored West to stop harassing Karadashin and Davidson, and yet despite this, West continues. Even though West himself is already in another relationship, he still seemingly has a problem with his ex-wife moving on and attempting to start a life without him. As such, it’s safe to conclude that West is holding his ex-wife to a double standard. He seemingly does not want her to move on with another man and instead come back to him. And yet, Kardashian has expressed no interest in renewing her relationship with her ex-husband and seemingly wants him to be only involved in raising their children together and nothing else. Kardashian has made it clear to the public and to West that she no longer wants her husband as her lover, and for some reason, West is having a hard time accepting that fact. He cannot stand the fact that she is doing so well without him, so he is lashing out against her in the most brutal way possible: by going after the man she is dating.
What’s worse is that West expects the public to have his back in his crusade against Pete Davidson. Despite being the harasser and what many people perceive as the instigator of this dispute, he expects people to see him as the hero and the one who is trying to repair his family even though Karadashin wants no part of his solutions. He is attempting to force her into coming back together, and he is attempting to isolate her by going after the people who care about her such as Pete Davidson. This is borderline abuse, a claim by a famous comedian, Trevor Noah.
The best example of the backlash against Kanye West comes in the form of a late-night TV host. Reported by Newsweek, Trevor Noah, a famous comedian in the United States from South Africa, has spoken out against West and has called his behavior abusive. While it may come off as a little extreme to some, this argument does have some merit. Kanye West is trying to break up the healthy relationship with his ex-wife and her new boyfriend because he does not want her to be with another man. He is attempting to publicly shame her and bully her new lover out of Kardashian's life. It ceases to be funny once one looks at it from this perspective, and according to Noah, the dispute becomes one of an abuser trying to regain control of his victim’s life and not one of a dispute between ex-lovers. And Trevor Noah is not the only one who has lashed out against West.
The Grammys responded to West's actions by banning him from performing at the awards ceremony. It's become clear that West's behavior is not going to be tolerated by his peers in the music industry or Hollywood and nor should it. If various institutions and people are telling West to cease his harassment, it’s a clear indication that what West is doing is very much wrong. While many people might have been able to laugh it off once before, his continued harassment has gotten much worse that he is now kept from performing at the music industry’s biggest awards show. And while it may be bad news for West, it is good news for the public which seeks to punish people like West for their behavior.
Hollywood is facing a lot of backlash for its tolerance of its violent stars. A week after Noah's response, reported by CBC and many other news outlets, actor Will Smith had slapped comedian Chris Rock over a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, Jada. Smith faced very few repercussions, which shocked many people across the United States for the lack of action the Academy took against Smith. Many people were even surprised at the fact that Smith received a standing ovation when he won his Oscar despite not apologizing to Rock that night and waiting until the next day. Indeed, there should have been more backlash against Smith for his actions. He was out of line, and yet what his slap showed the public was that there are many people in Hollywood who seemingly condone acts or threats of violence if they think the justification is valid. This is the mindset of Kanye West. He thinks if he wins over the public that his actions against Davidson are justified, and luckily for Davidson and Kardashian, the public and the Grammys do not side with West.
Though the ban on Kanye West was implemented before the alternation between West and Rock, by keeping the ban on West, the Grammys set a clear principle at their award show: people who harm or threaten to harm others can not be condoned in public. Now, by demand of the public and news outlets, Hollywood’s stars must take a stance against some of its more violent stars. The public is over such people being awarded and being praised or egged on for their actions. What the Grammys did was a perfect step in the way forward. When a celebrity, no matter how popular they are, threatens or commits an act of violence, it should not be met with applause or laughter. Instead, violence must be treated with disapproval and consequences.
But now to the question- Can Kanye West be canceled for his actions against Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian? The answer is maybe. The most significant factor against a possible Kanye West cancellation is that West still holds a lot of star power in Hollywood and the music industry. People across the world know who he is and are fans of his music. Even people who do not like West as a person has acknowledged that he is a very talented artist. And yet, Hollywood, the music industry, and millions of users across the internet and on many different social media platforms are turning against him. Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have a lot more support from people across the world and seemingly have most of Hollywood behind their back.
And yet despite West's very public remarks, there's still one person who has largely kept quiet about this entire situation. Kardashian has not made many public statements regarding the dispute between her and her former husband. She seems to be more interested in moving past Kanye West and building a life for her and her children without involving West too much. And while Kardashian might not want to say anything out of fear that saying something would only encourage West to lash out against her even further, it might be the catalyst for a possible Kanye West cancellation. If a West cancellation were to occur, it would take Kardashian coming out and telling her side of the story. If she were to share details about her time with West and any other incidents that may have occurred during their time as a couple, it might be the push that the public needs to cancel Kanye West. Some would argue that the push is necessary.
The public and Hollywood have suffered enough of West's antics. With his long history of outbursts and behavioral issues, many people simply no longer want to deal with him anymore. However, both his music and his merchandise continue to be profitable. It would take a massive moment of boycotting West's products and music for people to even accept a Kanye West cancellation, and as stated previously, a spark for a West cancellation has not been lit. Out of West's two main targets, Pete Davidson seems to be more vocal about his opposition to Kanye West. He has done interviews and made statements denouncing West's behavior. And though his comments against West paints a clear picture of who is at fault for the dispute, his words alone may not be enough to push the public to cancel Kanye West. For now, what social media users and celebrities can do is make it clear to West that his behavior is no longer going to be tolerated, by continuing to speak out against his behavior and refusing to condone it any longer.
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