John Legend has said he and Ye “aren’t friends as much as we used to be” due to their political differences.
“I honestly think because we publicly disagreed on his running for office, his supporting Trump, I think it became too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly,” the singer said during an appearance on The Axe Files podcast.
Ye co-produced Legend’s 2004 debut album Get Lifted and the two have collaborated several times over the years.
But, Legend said he wasn’t able to support the rap star when he announced his bid for president ahead of the 2020 U.S. election.
“I wasn’t alone in that, but, you know, he was not happy about that,” Legend recalled. “And we really haven’t been close since.”
Still, Legend is not interested in trashing Ye.
“He’s been very open with who he is and his struggles with mental health,” he said, “and he’s very real, honestly. So I think there’s not a lot about him that people don’t get… Like he’s been pretty upfront with his opinions, his struggles, all the things that he’s dealing with.”