Rapper Kanye West has officially been banned from performing at the 2022 Grammy Awards following a series of incidents of “concerning online behavior.” Many have speculated about what triggered the decision. West Coast rapper The Game cited political commentator Trevor Noah — whom West had been feuding with — however, the comedian recently addressed the announcement, noting that this was far from what he expected.
Noah was one of many celebrities who chimed in on West’s tremulous divorce proceedings and subsequent hostile treatment towards reality star and successful entrepreneur Kim Kardashian and new boyfriend “SNL” star Pete Davidson.
During a recent segment on his series “The Daily Show,” Noah called out West’s conduct, telling viewers, “You may not feel sorry for Kim because she’s rich and famous, because of the way she dresses, because she appropriates Black culture, because she tells women they’re lazy, because she broke the internet and then didn’t put it back together.”
He continued, “whatever, you hate her, whatever. But…But… what she’s going through is terrifying to watch and shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave.”
He added. “You know people always say that phrase to women. They go, like, ‘why didn’t you leave?’ ‘Why didn’t you leave?’ Year because a lot of women realize when they do leave, the guy will get even crazier.”
“I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye,” the South African star wrote on Twitter early Sunday morning on March 20.
However, an unidentified source close to Noah told CNN that the commentator had nothing to do with West’s performance being canceled. “Trevor never asked the Grammys to ban Kanye from performing. He was not offended by Kanye’s Instagram post, and Trevor responded on Instagram. The notion that Trevor or his team asked the Grammys to ban Kanye is ridiculous,” the source told the outlet.
Critics responded to Noah’s post, assuring the star that removing the rapper from the 64th annual ceremony was a punishment the entertainer brought upon himself, including one online user who wrote, “He cancelled himself, Trevor.”
The 44-year-old is nominated for five Grammy awards, including Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, and Best MelodicRap Performance. The rapper has yet to address his banishment, and it is unclear whether he will attend the ceremony set to take place on April 8.
