Dragging them into the drama. Amid the backlash to his controversial Yeezy fashion show, Kanye West hasn’t held back when it comes to sharing his opinions — or involving other celebrities.
The “Jesus Walks” rapper sparked backlash when he and conservative pundit Candace Owens were photographed wearing a shirt bearing the phrase “White Lives Matter” at his Yeezy season 9 presentation during Paris Fashion Week on October 3. West also sent a Black model down the runway in the shirt, which earned him criticism from industry veterans like Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who claimed the creative choice was “irresponsible.”
In response, West made several posts insulting Karefa-Johnson’s style and questioned her credibility as a journalist. “This is not a fashion person You speak on Ye Ima speak on you Ask Trevor Noah,” the designer wrote in a since-deleted tweet, referring to a previous feud with the Daily Show host. He later shared another photo of the stylist on social media, claiming, “I KNOOOOOW ANNA [Wintour] HAAAATES THESE BOOTS.”
However, Vogue soon issued a statement defending Karefa-Johnson, stating that she and West hashed things out privately.
“Vogue stands with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, our global fashion editor at large and longtime contributor. She was personally targeted and bullied. It is unacceptable,” read the statement from the publication, which was shared via Instagram and Twitter. “Now more than ever, voices like hers are needed and in a private meeting with Ye today she once again spoke her truth in a way she felt best, on her terms.”
The “Gold Digger” musician revealed in another Instagram post that he apologized to Karefa-Johnson over his comments. “Gab is my sister,” he wrote. “I’m not letting people go to bed thinking I didn’t meet with Gabrielle at 5 p.m. today for 2 hours then went to dinner at Ferdie.”
He continued: “It felt like she was being used like Trevor Noah and other Black people to speak on my expression. She expressed that her company did not instruct her to speak on my T-shirt expression. We apologized to each other for the way we made each other feel. We actually got along and have both experienced the fight for acceptance in a world that’s not our own. She disagreed. I disagreed. We disagreed. At least we both love Ferdie and fashion.”
Despite appearing to settle his disagreement with Karefa-Johnson, the drama continued, with West publicly slamming Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber — among others — for speaking out against the runway show. During an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight, the Grammy winner also criticized Lizzo and his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, for various other reasons.
Keep scrolling to see everyone West has name-dropped amid his fashion week drama — and whether they’ve responded:
