Kanye West has made waves this year, becoming a de facto celebrity representative of the political right.
West has been seen wearing the red MAGA hat everywhere from appearances on SNL to a meeting with President Donald Trump himself. West has been criticized by fans and friends alike for suggesting “slavery was a choice,” and calling for the abolition of the 13th Amendment.
But now West appears to have decided that he’s had enough of the political world. After temporarily deleting his Twitter account earlier in October, West took to the social network to tell his more than 28 million followers on Tuesday that he is “distancing” himself from politics.
In a series of tweets, West described the issues he supports—creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, prison reform, common-sense gun laws—and thanked his “family, loved ones, and community” for supporting his “ACTUAL beliefs” and his “vision for a better world.”
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1057366616432930816
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1057366623621955586
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1057366629326053376
In a final tweet West wrote, “My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!”
An intermediary tweet suggests that West’s reversal may have been the result of his association earlier this week with “Blexit,” a line of apparel intended to encourage African Americans to leave the Democratic Party. West claims in the tweet that while he introduced Candace [Owens], the founder of the brand, to “the person who made the logo,” they used West’s name despite him having “nothing to do with it.”
There’s at least one other theory behind West’s departure from politics, however. Reports have suggested that West’s wife, Kim Kardashian has taken issue with West’s rhetoric and that it had impacted their marriage.
Regardless of the cause, it remains to be seen how long West’s ‘Yexit’ will last.
