Concerns about Kanye West’s mental health increased Sunday following a bizarre campaign-style rally in which he made shocking comments about abortion and slavery.
TMZ reported that the Kardashians “believe Kanye is in desperate need of professional help and is in the middle of a serious, bipolar episode.”
The rap star, who announced earlier this month that he is running for U.S. president as a candidate for the “Birthday Party,” spoke at conference hall in Charleston, South Carolina while wearing a military-style vest emblazoned with the word “Security.”
West started sobbing as he spoke about having urged wife Kim Kardashian to have an abortion when she was pregnant with their first child, North. “I almost killed my daughter,” he said. “Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn't want to.”
West proposed giving new mothers “a million dollars or something like that.”
The 43-year-old rapper also raised eyebrows when speaking about 19th century abolitionist Harriet Tubman, whom he claimed “never actually freed the slaves.” He added: “She just had the slaves go work for other white people.”
The rally was an attempt to collect the 10,000 signatures West needs to get his name on the ballot in South Carolina by noon Monday. (UPDATE: West did not register by the deadline.) So far he is only on the ballot in Oklahoma, which requires nothing more than payment of a $35,000 U.S. fee.
Last week, New York magazine’s Ben Jacobs reported that West scrapped his plan to run only days after his July 4th announcement that he was running to replace Donald Trump. Steve Kramer, whose company was hired to get the rap star on ballots in Florida and South Carolina, is quoted as confirming on July 9: “He’s out.”
But, someone named Andre Bodiford filed a Statement of Organization with the U.S. Federal Election Commission on Wednesday using the address of West’s Wyoming ranch. Bodiford is registered as both treasurer and custodian of records for the “principal campaign committee” for Kanye West.
According to the FEC, the filing does not mean West is a candidate. First, he must raise or spend more than $5,000 U.S. on campaign activity and file a Statement of Candidacy.
Fueling speculation that his run for president is a publicity stunt for his forthcoming album God's Country, West tweeted and then deletes its track list on Saturday.
Trey Songz shared a clip from West’s rally on Instagram and wrote: “Ye you in the way of progress foreal, how you turn this goofy from who you were? I’m so confused, whoever got his number need to call him.”
Last year, West opened up about his mental health issues during an interview on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. “If you don’t take medication every day to keep you at a certain state, you have a potential to ramp up and it can take you to a point where you can even end up in the hospital," West explained. “And you start acting erratic, as TMZ would put it.”
If you are, or someone you know is, suffering a mental health crisis, click here to find resources.