Kanye West Blames 3 Specific Scandals For Keeping Him Off The Super Bowl Stage

Kanye West thinks three particular controversies stopped him from ever headlining the Super Bowl halftime show.

In a since-deleted X post on Monday, the rap provocateur claimed he “never was allowed” the privilege of performing at the big game because of his statement on President George W. Bush, his feud with Taylor Swift and his ongoing support for President Donald Trump.

Rattling off the trio of infamous moments, he listed the “George Bush don’t care about Black people” incident, the “The Taylor Swift movement” and the time he began “wearing a MAGA hat” as reasons for being blacklisted.

One of West’s earliest scandals came during a 2005 TV fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina, when he blamed racism for Bush’s inadequate disaster relief. (Bush later said that was untrue and described West’s criticism as an “all-time low” of his presidency.)

West’s bitter feud with Swift has been raging since 2009, when he stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to say she didn’t deserve the Best Female Video honor.

Over the past decade and a half, the artists have continuously attacked one another in songs, interviews and on social media.

Then in 2018, people were shocked when the once-outspoken social justice advocate proudly donned a Make America Great Again hat during a visit to the White House.

In the run-up to the 2020 election, the rapper embarked on his own outlandish independent campaign for president before eventually endorsing Trump.

Displaying his signature narcissism, West then wondered, “How does it feel to be the best living artist and blocked from the main stage for being ahead of my time?” before noting how those scandals all happened “before I went full Nazi, of course.”

Though the rapper and fashion designer had proudly invited controversies time and time again over the years, his more recent embrace of antisemitism seems to be the ultimate dealbreaker for many fans and business partners.

After saying that he wanted to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” during a 2022 Twitter rant, Adidas quashed their ongoing collaboration with West’s Yeezy apparel brand.

Undeterred by the backlash, West has continued to spew hate in rambling social media sprees in the years since.

This February, West went all-in on his Nazi obsession when he proclaimed his love of Adolf Hitler and began selling swastika-emblazoned shirts on the Yeezy website.

Though the artist has never performed at the Super Bowl, he did make a bewildering cameo during this year’s broadcast.

In one of the game’s most baffling ads ever, West appeared in a shaky video clip shot with his phone’s front-facing camera as he sat in a dentist’s chair, urging viewers to visit Yeezy.com.