Why Was Kanye West Barred From His Grammys Performance and Temporarily Banned From Social Media?

An artist's motivations can sometimes be elusive, and the actions of temperamental rapper/producer Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) have always ridden the line between genuine emotional reaction and publicity stunt. In this case, there seems to be no other explanation; he has become increasingly unhinged since his wife, Kim Kardashian, left him. Kanye West is so distraught that it seems he is willing to ruin his career with hardly even a thought. These events led to many high-profile censures in mid-March 2022, the aftermath of which is still undetermined.

The social media site Instagram, following its policy on hate speech, harassment, and bullying, deemed that West violated the company's rules on March 16th, 2022. Though he had posted several times in recent weeks about Pete Davidson, the final straw came when Ye posted a racial slur on comedian Trevor Noah’s Instagram page. Noah had spoken on Ye’s treatment of the Kardashian/Davidson situation, detailing the facts of the matter and commenting that Ye’s action could turn into violence.

Fitting his character, Noah added a level-headed response to the conversation. On March 20th, Noah posted, “I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye” on Twitter. As of 2019, Ye has openly written and spoken about his issues with mental health, so Noah’s post seems to be an appropriate response.