Kanye West is back on Twitter again, reaffirming his support for Donald Trump by sharing a screenshot of the text Trump critic and good friend John Legend sent to West this morning.
Legend wrote, 'Hey it’s JL. I hope you’ll reconsider aligning yourself with Trump. You’re way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for. As you know, what you say really means something to your fans. They are loyal to you and respect your opinion. So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now because they know the harm that Trump’s policies cause, especially to people of colour. Don’t let this be part of your legacy. You’re the greatest artist of our generation.'
West replied, 'I love you John and I appreciate your thoughts. You bringing up my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought.'
Then West blasted it to his 27.9 million followers to read. 'I tweeted the John text to show that there are people around me that disagree with me and voice their opinion. I respect everyone's opinion but I stand my ground,' he tweeted after. 'If you feel something don't let peer pressure manipulate you.'
Legend texted him back, so West, on a full transparency kick, shared that too. 'Think freely. Think with empathy and context too. Your words and actions have consequences. Much love. And since you’re posting texts, let me add that I have a new single out haha.'
'Haha,' West wrote with a laughing emoji. 'I love you John.'
'I really appreciate this dialogue with John Legend because I'm actually very empathetic,' West tweeted after this screenshot. 'I'm still the kid from the telethon. I feel when people think of MAGA, they don't think of empathy.'
Meanwhile, Legend's wife Chrissy Teigen hinted at her thoughts of this West-Legend intervention blasting. 'Everyone keeps asking me to comment on shit,' she lamented. 'Comment on psycho Tami Lasagna, whom I refuse to give the joy to, say something about RHOA, speak up about Kanye. When it comes to people we know, we DO speak up. To THEM. not on Twitter. And sometimes, I guess it makes it to Twitter.'
She also made fun of West's green text bubbles because duh, they're an easy target for iPhone users.
Legend first made headlines last night when he shared a very thoughtful series of tweets that seemed to target West in the aftermath of his first tweet spree.
'I imagine there's some comfort in imagining a future without racism and projecting that onto the present,' he wrote. 'Thinking if we just deny the truth, it doesn't exist. If history is erased, we don't have to deal with its consequences. However, far too many people don't have the luxury of closing their eyes and ears. They feel it in their lives and can't act like what they see and know doesn't exist. They know their family was destroyed by deportation or incarceration. They know their loved one was denied safe harbour because of their religion. They know their son or daughter was shot because their skin colour evoked fear. They see the statistics about black applications for real estate or loans or employment being turned away because their name was Jamal and not James. I love that great, brilliant artists have the power to imagine a better future. But artists can't be blind to the truth.'
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
