Things have been quiet on the Kanye West front for the past couple of months, since the rapper decided to end his social media feud with ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend Pete Davidson in order to become “a better human and a better dad.” Ye’s never been known to shy away from the spotlight — whether he’s making bold political statements, taking the music world by storm, or getting candid about parenting his four children. Something seems to have shifted lately though, and his friend Jason Lee opened up about how he’s changed since his troublesome online outbursts.
Kanye West hit a rough patch in late 2021 and early 2022 amid his divorce from Kim Kardashian. As the rapper was pleading for a reconciliation with the mother of his kids, she was moving on with Pete Davidson, who she contacted for NSFW reasons following her appearance on Saturday Night Live in October. West declared “civil war” on the comedian, making a number of threats and accusations against the couple, before choosing to “get better” for the sake of his kids. Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee spoke to Complex about what’s changed for the jeen-yuhs star, including who’s calling the shots in Ye’s life:
Ye is the only person in control of Ye. He’s made the decision to put him and his children first — for the first time. He has some amazing people around him who are advising and supporting his creative visions.
It’s definitely good to hear that Kanye West has a strong support system surrounding him. Even as things continue to heat up between his ex-wife and the heavily tattooed actor, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West gave an indication of calmer waters in co-parenting when they attended their son’s soccer game together.
Just because things are quiet now, though, doesn’t mean the past is all forgotten. Jason Lee referenced Ye’s political past, in which the pop culture icon donned a “Make America Great Again” cap in support of Donald Trump and even made a presidential run himself — moves that he admitted “embarrassed” his then-wife. Lee said he hopes to use his platform and Kanye’s to create a win-win situation:
It doesn’t make what he said in the past or what he’s done okay. I still have my political thoughts and positions on things that are driven by experiences in the [labor] union. And he has his. But if I can humanize him through storytelling, create experiences, get the brands he works with to invest in culture and utilize his platform and resources to pour into the communities that he comes from, then that’s a win for everyone.
The legal battle between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian isn’t over yet, and the rapper’s fourth divorce attorney recently stepped down, citing an “irreconcilable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship.” Viewers of The Kardashians on Hulu, however, haven’t seen a whole lot of the former couple’s struggles, as Season 1 episodes so far were filmed before the social media feud really kicked off. We’ll have to see if future episodes dig deeper into the events of early 2022, even as things are hopefully getting to a point where everyone can heal.
New episodes of The Kardashians are available for streaming each Thursday with a Hulu subscription. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule for all the premieres coming to television and streaming.
