John Legend criticizes ex-friend Ye for 'anti-Blackness' and 'antisemitism'

USA Today

10-05-2025

John Legend criticizes ex-friend Ye for 'anti-Blackness' and 'antisemitism'
Show Caption
Hide Caption
From Taylor Swift to Bianca Censori: Ye's years of controversies
Ye, formerly Kanye West, is no stranger to controversy, from crashing Taylor Swift's MTV speech to his high-profile relationships.
John Legend is slamming his former friend and ex-mentor Ye for his "anti-Blackness" and "antisemitism."
In an interview published in British outlet The Times of London on May 10, the "Ordinary People" singer slammed the Chicago rapper while recounting the roots of their personal and professional relationship.
"Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him," Legend said of the artist, whose birth name is Kanye West. "He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now."
"I didn't see a hint of what we're seeing now, his obsessions with antisemitism, anti-blackness, and it is sad to see his devolution," Legend continued during the talk with the Times. "I don't think we're qualified to psychoanalyze him, but after his mother passed in 2007, there was definitely a difference.
Legend said that "his descent started" after Ye's beloved mother and Chicago State University professor Donda West died in 2007 and "seems to have accelerated recently."
USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Ye for a response, but has not received a comment.
Ye says he still supports Trump, calls John Legend a 'sellout': 'I still got a red hat on'
Ye's controversial behavior has raised eyebrows in recent years. In February, he took to X in a tirade against Jews in a series of posts (before temporarily deleting his account) and, in an ad, he directed Super Bowl viewers to his website (which is now down) where the only item he was selling was a $20 T-shirt featuring a swastika.
During the Times of London interview, Legend looked back on the release of Ye's debut album "The College Dropout" in 2004 and his own first album "Get Lifted" later that year, which came out after he signed to Ye's label G.O.O.D. Music.
"Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z's album 'The Blueprint' in 2001," Legend told the outlet. "Then he experienced a buzz as a solo artist and the whole time I was travelling with him, doing shows with him, getting exposure not only as his singer and keyboard player but also as an artist myself."
He added, "I had been turned down by labels everywhere. Then, 'The College Dropout' sold 400,000 copies in its first week, everyone wanted to know what was happening in our camp, and all those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time round."
Legend, Ye fell out over latter's support of Donald Trump
In 2020, West himself "ran for president" and appeared on the ballot in 12 states.
Then, Legend famously feuded with Ye in 2021 and 2022 after Ye came out in support of President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again agenda.
After the fact, Ye claimed Legend and well-known Detroit rapper Big Sean turned on him after his support for Trump.
"Both John Legend and Big Sean, when I ran for office, got used quick by the Democrats to come at they boy that actually changed they life. … I don't rock with neither of them, and I need my apologies," the rapper said during an appearance on Revolt's "Drink Champs" podcast in 2021.
"I'm not really saying anything shocking, you know John Legend gone always show up and do whatever them folks tell him to do," Ye added in the "Drink Champs" interview. "That's not a shocking thing, man."
Contributing: Elise Brisco