John Legend says Kanye’s support of Trump ‘became too much for us to sustain our friendship’

John Legend says his friendship with Kanye West is not what it used to be because of the rapper’s support for former President Donald Trump. 

Legend spoke out about the pair’s now-tarnished friendship on an episode of CNN’s The Axe Files and revealed that they publicly disagreed on Kanye’s running for office, supporting Trump and that it became ‘too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly.’

West was an outspoken supporter of Trump when the former president was in office, while Legend has been a longtime Trump critic. 

In the podcast episode released on Thursday,  Legend revealed that their falling out was also a result of West getting upset because he did not support Trump’s run for the presidency.

‘He was upset that I didn’t support his run for presidency of the United States of America — for understandable reasons,’ Legend said.

Kanye West (pictured in May) was an outspoken supporter of Trump when the former president was in office, while Legend has been a longtime Trump critic

‘Let me ask you about your relationship with him,’ podcast host David Axelrod said, ‘Because I know you’re friends still, but he’s, you know, his behavior and his politics, I guess — his politics are much different or have been much different than yours?’

Legend responded: ‘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, I think it became, uh, too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly.’

‘He was upset that I didn’t support his run for presidency of the United States of America for understandable reasons,’ he added.

‘You weren’t alone in that by the way,’ Axelrod said.

‘I wasn’t alone in that, but, you know, he was not happy about that. And we really haven’t been close since then,’ Legend said.

‘What don’t people understand about him?’ Axelrod asked.

‘Well, I think people get a lot about him. I think. Um, he’s been very open with who he is and his struggles with mental health and he’s very real, honestly,’ Legend replied.

Legend spoke out about the pair’s now-tarnished friendship on an episode of CNN’s The Axe Files and revealed that they publicly disagreed on Kanye’s running for office, supporting Trump (pictured) and that it became ‘too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly’

 ‘So I think there’s not a lot about him that people don’t get, like he’s been pretty upfront with his opinions, his struggles, all the things that he’s dealing with,’ he added. 

‘And, uh, I think what you see with him is pretty much what you get. I don’t feel like he’s a whole separate person in private than he is in public. I think you’re pretty much seeing the real Kanye publicly.’

Last November, Kanye revealed that he still supports Donald Trump.

‘I’ve still got a red hat on today, I’ll let y’all know that,’ he said. ‘I might not got it on [at the moment] but I’ll let y’all know where I stand,’ he said at the time. 

The public display of support is a huge turn around from 2020, when in a bizarre interview for Forbes the rapper, he said, was ‘taking the red hat off’ after an apparent falling out with the President.

Kanye West said in November 2021 that he still supports Donald Trump as he lashed out at ‘ Cancel Culture ‘ and the #MeToo Movement in a candid chat on Revolt TV’s Drink Champs. Pictured: West meets Trump at the White House in 2018

Kanye first formally met then president-elect Trump in December 2016 on a visit to Trump Tower in New York. He later said it was wrong to assume that Trump was using him to siphon black votes from the Democrats with his presidential bid in 2020

He has, however, previously spoken out in support of Trump and wore a Make America Great Again hat when he visited the White House in 2018.

In a rambling speech to Trump and reporters in the Oval Office, he said the former president ‘is on his hero’s journey’. West told Trump, ‘I love you,’ as he came around to give him a hug.

Kanye first formally met then president-elect Trump in December 2016 on a visit to Trump Tower in New York.

But on July 4, 2020, he announced that he no longer supported Trump as he launched his own presidential bid. ‘I am taking the red hat off, with this interview,’ he told Forbes, although it was unclear whether Trump’s handling of the pandemic – which Kayne called ‘one big mess’ – may also have been a reason.

He also said it was wrong to assume that black people will always vote for Democrats. ‘To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy,’ he claimed.

The rapper has denied claims that he is being used by Trump to siphon black votes from the Democrats with his presidential bid last year.

Reports at the time said that in return Trump had ‘kind words for West, but also said he had “loony tendencies”.’