Kanye West sparked plenty of social media chatter this weekend – for several different reasons.
The rap star kicked off his weekend by seemingly announcing that he wants to be called simply “Ye.”
Hours before he performed on SNL, the rapper tweeted that he is “the being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE.”
Then West (er, Ye) raised eyebrows when he appeared on SNL dressed as a bottle of Perrier with Lil Pump, who was dressed as a bottle of Fiji Water, to perform a PG-version of their hit “I Love It.”
But it’s what happened off-air that really got people talking. West gave a speech to the SNL studio audience that was met mostly with jeers.
Wearing a red “Make American Great Again” hat, West attacked the Democrats and praised Donald Trump.
“The blacks want always Democrats, you know, it’s like the plan they did, to take the fathers out the home and put them on welfare,” he said. “Does anybody know about that? That’s a Democratic plan.
“There’s so many times I talk to like a white person about this and they say, ‘How could you like Trump? He’s racist.’ Well, if I was concerned about racism I would’ve moved out of America a long time ago.”
The rant was captured on video by comedian Chris Rock, who was in the audience. At one point, Rock can be heard whispering “Oh, my God.”
Chris Rock’s Instagram story captured Kanye West going on a rant about Trump after “SNL” last night. Cheering and boos can be heard from the audience. pic.twitter.com/aXmG9JirrM
— Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) September 30, 2018
Of course, Trump welcomed the opportunity to return the love.
“Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) – no longer funny, no talent or charm. It is just a political ad for the Dems,” the president tweeted on Sunday. “Word is that Kanye West, who put on a MAGA hat after the show (despite being told ‘no’), was great. He’s leading the charge!”
Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) - no longer funny, no talent or charm. It is just a political ad for the Dems. Word is that Kanye West, who put on a MAGA hat after the show (despite being told “no”), was great. He’s leading the charge!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018
Then, West posted a photo of himself wearing the MAGA hat and captioned it: “this represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love.”
this represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love pic.twitter.com/a15WqI8zgu
— ye (@kanyewest) September 30, 2018
The message, though, wasn’t received with much love from other entertainers.
Lana Del Rey was among those who shared a reaction.
“Trump becoming our president was a loss for the country but your support of him is a loss for the culture,” she commented.
“I can only assume you relate to his personality on some level. Delusions of Grandeur, extreme issues with narcissism—none of which would be a talking point if we weren’t speaking about the man leading our country.
“If you think it’s alright to support someone who believes it’s OK to grab a woman by the pussy just because he’s famous—then you need an intervention as much as he does—something so many narcissists will never get because there just isn’t enough help for the issue. Message sent with the concern that it will never be addressed.”