Kanye West was noticeably missing from tonight's Grammy Awards, and sources close to the star have revealed why.
Amid the controversy surrounding his social media behavior, the rapper reportedly decided to retreat from the spotlight and focus on his health and family. A source close to the Kardashians told Page Six that he even told ex-wife Kim Kardashian that he would stop harassing her and her boyfriend, Pete Davidson.
"For the sake of the kids, Kanye has told Kim he's not making any public appearances or inflammatory social media statements, and he will go away somewhere to get better," the source said, not adding where or how the artist plans to get help.
A rep for West also told the outlet, "At this time, Ye is committed to a healthy co-parenting relationship with Kim and is and focused on raising their beautiful children."
The news comes after The Recording Academy banned West due to his recent social media attacks on Kardashian, Davidson, and TV host Trevor Noah. In a tweet, Noah—who returned as host for the second year in a row—said he didn't support the ban. "I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye," he wrote.
But the Grammys stage isn't the only place West has gotten banned from as of late. Earlier this month, West was banned from Instagram for 24 hours for promoting hate speech, bullying, and harassment, Meta said. The rapper previously posted (and then deleted) a bizarre poem about the difficulties of divorce, as well as a music video for his song "Eazy," which featured a Claymation West kidnapping and burying a Claymation Davidson.
The Saturday Night Live comedian has not publicly responded to the clip, but he did reportedly send West a string of texts asking him to stop harassing him and Kardashian, and a selfie of him in the SKIMS founder's bed.
Kardashian has mostly taken the high road during all this, and she and West were actually seen together last weekend at son Saint West's soccer game. She didn't look too pleased, but at least it seemed they were amicably co-parenting. The exes were joined by their other three children: North, Chicago, and Psalm West.
The "Praise God" singer was nominated for five Grammys this year. His August 2021 LP, Donda, is nominated for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year, and he already won awards tonight for Best Rap Song ("Jail") and Best Melodic Rap Performance ("Hurricane"). West is also credited as a songwriter for Lil Nas X's Montero, which is nominated for Album of the Year.
Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.
