Kanye West’s episode of The Shop shelved, controversial cut clips from Fox News leak

Ye, a.k.a. Kanye West, continues to court controversy with alleged "hate speech" on pulled episode of The Shop and Fox News clips

Kanye West’s episode of The Shop shelved, controversial cut clips from Fox News leak
Kanye West Photo: Ronald Martinez

After being booted from Instagram and Twitter, Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) has attempted to continue his antisemitic and conspiracy theory-laden publicity blitz with an appearance on The Shop, the YouTube talk show produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. Though the producers apparently hoped to have a productive conversation with the rapper about his most recent controversies, the episode has now been pulled, seemingly due to all the antisemitism and conspiracy theories. (Who’d’ve thought!)

“Yesterday we taped an episode of The Shop with Kanye West. Kanye was booked weeks ago and, after talking to Kanye directly the day before we taped, I believed he was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments,” Carter said in a statement (per The Hollywood Reporter). “Unfortunately, he used The Shop to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes.”

The statement continued, “We have made the decision not to air this episode or any of Kanye’s remarks. While The Shop embraces thoughtful discourse and differing opinions, we have zero tolerance for hate speech of any kind and will never allow our channels to be used to promote hate. I take full responsibility for believing Kanye wanted a different conversation and apologize to our guests and crew. Hate speech should never have an audience.”

Even Fox News, which hosted an already incendiary conversation between Ye and Tucker Carlson, apparently had to curb some of Ye’s remarks. Vice News’ Motherboard obtained several clips from the interview that didn’t make it to air, which included—you guessed it—antisemitism and conspiracy theories, like the fact that Planned Parenthood was created “to control the Jew population.”

He also expressed a disturbing belief that his kids were socializing with “fake children”: “I mean, like actors, professional actors, placed into my house to sexualize my kids.” Specifically referencing the “so-called son” of an associate, he added, “We don’t, we didn’t even believe that this person was her son because he was way smarter than her, right?” (According to a tweet from Vice writer Anna Merlan, the outlet chose not to share that particular clip “to protect the family’s privacy.”)

As Motherboard points out, Ye has previously discussed how his bipolar disorder can trigger this kind of paranoia. (“When you’re in this state, you’re hyper-paranoid about everything, everyone. This is my experience, other people have different experiences. Everyone now is an actor. Everything’s a conspiracy,” he explained in an episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman.) However, he has also been resistant to having his public outbursts attributed to mental health episodes.

Elsewhere in the leaked footage, he reiterates complaints about his daughter Chicago’s fourth birthday, espoused conspiracies about the death of designer Virgil Abloh, and his “visions” from God about “how to build these free energy, kinetic, fully kinetic energy communities.”

The cut portions of the interview are certainly telling as to the kind of narrative Carlson and Fox News were trying to craft around Ye’s appearance. Not only did the network omit his most outrageous statements, but it also cut a clip in which he stated he was vaccinated. Though The Shop may have been mistaken in inviting Ye on the show in the first place, at least that show neither gave his rhetoric a platform nor took advantage of his celebrity for its own gain.

 
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