Kanye West Meets With Fashion Editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Slams Gigi Hadid After ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt Controversy
If anything, Kanye West is demonstrably good at getting people to talk. After sparking outrage Monday (Oct. 3) by incorporating “White Lives Matter” shirts into his Paris Fashion Week show, the rapper has said that he met with Vogue fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson — whom he publicly mocked via social media for her criticism of his show — to discuss their difference of opinion before slamming Gigi Hadid and Venus X for their condemnations of his recent behavior.
“GAB IS MY SISTER,” he wrote on Instagram Tuesday night (Oct. 4). “IM NOT LETTING PEOPLE GO TO BED THINKING I DIDN’T MEET WITH GABRIELLE [sic] AT 5 PM TODAY FOR 2 HOURS THEN WE WENT TO DINNER AT FERDIE.”
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“IT FELT LIKE SHE WAS BEING USED LIKE TREVOR NOAH AND OTHER BLACK PEOPLE TO SPEAK ON MY EXPRESSION,” he continued, also claiming Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour had gotten director Baz Luhrmann to film his conversation with Karefa-Johnson.
“WE APOLOGIZED TO EACH OTHER FOR THE WAY WE MADE EACH OTHER FEEL WE ACTUALLY GOT ALONG AND HAVE BOTH EXPERIENCED THE FIGHT FOR ACCEPTANCE IN A WORLD THAT’S NOT OUR OWN.”
Prior to Ye’s most recent comments, both Karefa-Johnson and DJ Venus X had joined others in taking to social media to express their horror at his choice to dress models walking the runway for his latest Yeezy collection in shirts that had the racist phrase “White Lives Matter” printed on them. Karefa-Johnson called the display “indefensible behavior,” while Venus referred to it as violent propaganda.
Originally, it was solely Karefa-Johnson that Ye — who had himself worn a similar WLM shirt to his show — targeted online in response, posting photos of her to his Instagram the day after the show and ridiculing her appearance and fashion sense in his captions. Model Hadid came to the journalist’s defense on her own account, calling the rapper a “disgraceful man,” after which Vogue released a statement on Twitter supporting Karefa-Johnson.
“Vogue stands with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, our global fashion editor at large,” read the statement. “She was personally targeted and bullied. It is unacceptable. Now more than ever, voices like hers are needed and in a private meeting with Ye today she once again spoke her truth in a way she felt best, on her terms.”
It was shortly after Vogue‘s post that Kanye shared on his account that he’d spoken with Karefa-Johnson — who hasn’t yet said anything with regards to the meeting. She did, however, post on her story that she was “exhausted,” but “so moved by and grateful for the outpouring of love I’ve received.”
“One thing about me: I will always speak my mind, and always try to honor my truth,” she wrote. “My thoughts are my own, and I stand by them.”
But while it seems for the moment that Ye has made peace with Karefa-Johnson, he still isn’t letting Hadid or Venus’ criticisms go unaddressed. Several hours after his post about meeting with Karefa-Johnson, he shared another message on Instagram calling out the model and DJ specifically.
“I WONDER WHAT GIGI AND VENUS’S PERSPECTIVES WERE WHEN I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE MY CHILD WAS ON HER BIRTHDAY,” Kanye wrote, referencing a February coparenting disagreement with ex-wife Kim Kardashian. “WHY DID EVERYONE FEEL SO FREE TO ATTACK ME ABOUT MY T SHIRT BUT CANDACE OWENS WAS THE ONLY PUBLIC FIGURE TO SAY THAT IT WAS WRONG FOR THE KARDASHIANS TO KEEP ME FROM SEEING MY DAUGHTER.”
“FOR ALL AUDIENCE SO OUTRAGED ABOUT MY SHIRT,” he continued, “WHERE WAS YOU WHEN I COULDN’T SEE MY KIDS.”
See Kanye’s recent Instagram posts and Vogue’s statement below.
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) October 4, 2022
