Kanye West posts private texts with John Legend about Trump, says 'don't let peer pressure manipulate' your politics
Not even John Legend can talk sense into Kanye West.
The friends and collaborators, who are tight enough to go on Waffle House dates with their wives, are now in a public dispute about West’s Donald Trump love during in his wide-ranging Twitter rant on Wednesday. Legend first posted several tweets online reacting to West’s support of the president. (West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, also said she disagreed with her husband.) Apparently, Legend — or “JL” — then reached out privately to West to ask him to reconsider all the “MAGA” talk. West not only wouldn’t back down, but he took their private text exchange and posted it on Twitter today.
It started with this vague tweet:
People usually don't agree with people who don't agree with them
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Then — bam — it got a lot more specific:
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
He made it clear that he was unmoved:
I tweeted the John text to show that there are people around me that disagree with me and voice their opinion. I respect everyone's opinion but I stand my ground.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
if you feel something don't let peer pressure manipulate you
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
When Legend learned that West, who has produced many of Legend’s albums, had posted their text online, he continued to make his case — and emphasize that the rapper’s opinions can have an impact on the masses.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
I really appreciate this dialogue with John Legend because I'm actually very empathetic. Im still the kid from the telethon. I feel when people think of MAGA they don't think of empathy.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
This is year one. We can't ad empathy to MAGA by hating. We can only ad empathy with love and time and truly hearing all sides
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Then Legend added a funny line promoting his single “A Good Night.” West was happy to emphasize that, adding a friendlier tone to the exchange.
John Legend new single on line now
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, is the Twitter queen, so of course she was asked about it. She made it clear she didn’t have much on the topic. She also made it clear that her husband wasn’t aware that West was going to post their conversation online.
Everyone keeps asking me to comment on shit. Comment on psycho Tami Lasagna, whom I refuse to give the joy to, say something about RHOA, speak up about kanye. When it comes to people we know, we DO speak up. To THEM. not on Twitter. And sometimes, I guess it makes it to Twitter.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
After West posted part two of the text exchange, she posted again with a humorous tone.
This is the most elaborate and complex google pixel phone ad I have ever seen. https://t.co/RYSZcJxUk3
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
Kardashian, who generally defended her husband yesterday (minus his political preferences), then joined the conversation — thanks to Teigen.
@KimKardashian are we still doing dinner Friday or no lol
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
Kim K. made it clear things were good — and joked about the drama that has been created by phones this week.
Yes but maybe no phones https://t.co/zIEZS28DXC
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) April 26, 2018
Teigen then joked that she was going to invite one of Trump’s biggest fans, the Happy Days star. So things definitely became playful and funny.
can I bring my friend Scott Baio he’s super chill
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
Meanwhile, a new story on TMZ suggests that West is creating all of this social media drama as a planned publicity blitz for his new music, and his behavior is actually the opposite of erratic. If this was so planned, maybe he could have someone check his spelling and grammar.
Is this the end of their Waffle House double dates? Kardashian and West with Legend and Teigen at an Arizona Waffle House:
Double date at the Waffle House
A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Feb 1, 2015 at 1:24am PST
West and Legend go way, way back. Legend explained that West is the cousin of one of his college buddies. He was performing in 2001, and West was invited along to check him out. West went on to produce several albums for Legend, and they have various song collaborations. Legend told Oprah in 2013 that while they “obviously have very different personalities … [Kanye’s] a genius creatively and I think the public can see that.” And he made clear that “a lot of who he is in public is who he is in private. People also don’t always see the generous side of him; they don’t see the guy who’s been working with me and contributing to my work for more than 10 years.”
This isn’t the first time the men took their political disagreements public. After West visited a then-President-elect Trump at Trump Tower in late 2016, Legend said, “I won’t be used as a publicity stunt, and I think Kanye was used as a publicity stunt. He also said that he was “pretty disappointed in Kanye that he would have voted for Trump.”
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