Ye's Camp Says Grammys Pulled the Plug

Academy says 'concerning online behavior' will keep him offstage
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 19, 2022 4:35 PM CDT
Posts May Have Cost Ye a Slot on the Grammys
Kanye West, middle, watches an NBA game Wednesday in San Francisco.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Ye will not be performing at the Grammy Awards next month because of what the Recording Academy called his "concerning online behavior," a representative for the rapper said Saturday. The former Kanye West was shut down for 24 hours by Instagram this week after he posted racial slurs to comedian Trevor Noah. He's also posted online attacks on Pete Davidson, the boyfriend of his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. The academy and Ye did not immediately issue a comment, Variety reports.

A fellow rapper, the Game, posted late Friday that the academy decided at the "last minute" to not have Ye perform during the live broadcast April 3, per Rolling Stone. He wasn't in the initial list of performers released by the academy, per Variety, but he could have been added. Asked about the Game's account, a Ye representative confirmed its accuracy and the reason. The news came in a phone call Friday night, per the Blast. Ye has been nominated for five Grammys this year, per People, four of them for his album Donda. He did not immediately post about the academy's decision. "As if we didn't know it was coming," the Game posted on Instagram. (More Kanye West stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X