John Legend is getting candid about his friendship with Kanye West. During a recent interview, the EGOT star revealed that things between him and the GOOD Music founder aren’t how they used to be, citing the rapper’s political campaign and support for former President Donald Trump as the culprit.
While appearing on CNN’s “The Axe Files” podcast with David Axelord, the singer-songwriter was asked how the “Jesus Walk” rapper’s 2020 political stance affected their nearly two-decades’-long friendship.
“Well, you know, we aren’t friends as much as we used to be because I honestly think because we publicly disagreed on his running for office, his supporting Trump,” the 43-year-old star revealed. “I think it became too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly.”
Legend was introduced to West by his roommate DeVon Harris, also West’s cousin. The rapper played an intricate role in the early parts of Legend’s career and collaborated on several records, including 2005’s “Number One” and 2008’s “It’s Over.”
However, fans and friends were taken back after the “Jail” rapper publicly shared his support for Trump and began wearing the infamous red “Make America Great Again” cap. Legend revealed that things between the pals became even more constrained after he refused to show his support for West, who announced that he was running for president in the 2020 election.
Legend ultimately backed current President Joe Biden after his first-choice candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who, during her presidential run, fell behind in Super Tuesday primary contests around the nation, keeping her from becoming the Democratic nominee.
“He was upset that I didn’t support his run for presidency of the United States of America — for understandable reasons,” Legend continued. “I wasn’t alone in that, but, you know, he was not happy about that. And we really haven’t been close since then.”
Fans on social media seemed upset over the news that the two weren’t as close; many expressed understanding, including one online user who wrote, “People have ended their marriage’s over one party supporting Trump. It’s literally THAT bad…” while others struggled to accept Legend’s reasoning behind the torn friendship, like one Twitter user who wrote, “I say that John’s unwillingness to accept Kanye’s difference of opinion ended their friendship.”
“Well if you let politics get in the way of a friendship, it wasn’t a solid friendship,” claimed another critic.
