The Grammys Ban Kanye West As A Performer

The rapper has been banned from preforming at the upcoming ceremony due to his online attacks.

Kanye West has had a wild start to 2022. Divorcing Kim Kardashian, releasing Donda 2, dating and breaking up with Julia Fox, beefing with Pete Davidson (sorry, Skete), and now, being banned by the Grammys.

Yep, the Grammy Awards officially banned West from preforming due to his “concerning online behavior,” The Blast first reported. West, who is up for five awards at April’s 64th Annual Grammy Awards (including album of the year for Donda), was not amongst the lineup of publicly announced performers for the show, leading many to believe he was set to make a surprise appearance before the ban was announced.

The decision comes days after West was temporarily blocked from Instagram due to violating their online bullying and hate speech policies. The 24-hour ban came after West made some especially egregious posts about Davidson and used a racial slur directed at Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show and also this year’s Grammy host.

Noah, who frequently writes jokes with Davidson, had previously expressed concern that West’s online outbursts could turn violent. “Over time, Kanye has become more and more belligerent in how he tries to get Kim back,” Noah said on The Daily Show on March 15. “You may not feel sorry for Kim because she’s rich and famous, because she appropriates Black culture … 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.” This seemingly further set off West.

However, in a tweet on March 20, Noah seemingly distanced himself from the news.

West’s bizarre online behavior has predominantly centered around Pete Davidson and his now-public relationship with Kardashian, with most of West’s posts simply mocking him. However, the harassment took a turn when West released the music video for his new song Eazy, which features a disturbing claymation video of West dismembering a figure designed to look like Davidson. Since then, some individuals online have feared for Davidson’s safety, as well as the safety of Kardashian and the four kids she shares with West.

As of now, West is still set to headline Coachella next month, alongside Harry Styles and Billie Eilish, whom he also tried to fight with on Instagram.

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards will take place at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on April 3. You can watch live at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

Discover More