John Legend Reveals His Friendship with Kanye West
John Legend recently revealed how Kanye West’s vocal support for Donald Trump, and his subsequent run for office in 2020, drove a wedge in their friendship.
“We aren’t friends as much as we used to be,” Legend said during an appearance on The Axe Files podcast with CNN’s David Axelrod. “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.”
West raised eyebrows for his overt support of Trump during his controversial term as president — which included publicly rocking Trump’s signature MAGA hat and meeting with Trump in the Oval Office.
All of this did not sit well with Legend, who — along with his wife, Chrissy Teigen — were among the most outspoken celebrity critics of Trump.
However, Legend said he believes it was West’s run for president in 2020, and Legend’s refusal to support said run, that was the final nail in the coffin for their decades-long friendship.
“He was upset that I didn’t support his run for the presidency of the United States of America — for understandable reasons,” Legend explained. “I wasn’t alone in that, but, you know, he was not happy about that. And we really haven’t been close since then.”
Instead of criticizing West, Legend stated that he believes the Donda artist is honest and open with his thoughts, even when they are met with opposition, and that he does not try to hide from the public—for good or bad.
“I think he’s been very open with who he is and his struggles with mental health… he’s very real, honestly. So I think there’s not a lot about him that people don’t get,” Legend said. “He’s been pretty upfront with his opinions, his struggles, all the things that he’s dealing with. And I think what you see with him is pretty much what you get.”
As for talk regarding his own potential political ambitions, Legend said he’s not interested in running for any sort of office, and would rather try to help and make changes where he can through charitable efforts and his music.
“I do not want to run for office. I definitely don’t want to do it now, and I don’t envision myself wanting to do it in the future,” Legend shared. “I feel like I’m able to make a big impact through the work that I’m doing, and I like the way that I’m doing it.”
Legend’s recent announcement that he and Teigen are having another child means that he probably won’t have much time for side endeavors in the near future.
