John Legend's texts to Kanye West proves he's as kind and perfect as he seems
Kanye West has had a busy week.
In the past few days, he's divided Twitter with his "free thinking" support for Donald Trump and other far-right personalities. When he tweeted a photo of his signed Make America Great Again hat, he reportedly lost some significant celebrity followers, including Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and three of his Kardashian/Jenner sister-in-laws.
SEE ALSO: Here's why the alt-right loves Kanye West
On Wednesday, John Legend shared his thoughts on the Kanye/Trump drama in a thread of incredibly gracious subtweets. Here's part of that thread:
He ended it with this: "artists can't be blind to the truth."
I love that great, brilliant artists have the power to imagine a better future. But artists can't be blind to the truth.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
The defining trait of Trump's campaign and political profile was his embrace of white supremacy. He made it clear every time he spoke. Some serious cognitive dissonance to ignore that for the other x% you might find appealing. I guess I agree with >1% of anyone's thoughts though
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 25, 2018
On Thursday, Kanye tweeted a screenshot of texts from John, where he asked the rapper to "reconsider aligning yourself with Trump."
"You're way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for ... Don't let this be part of your legacy," John texted Kanye.
Considering the criticism Kanye's received for the people he's endorsed, John's discussion with him is still pretty supportive.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Unlike a certain Commander in Chief, Kanye took John's criticism well. Sort of.
"I love you John and I appreciate your thoughts," he responded before getting defensive. "You bringing up my fans or my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought."
It didn't dissuade John from reminding Kanye to "think with empathy and context" as well.
"Your words and actions have consequences," he told Kanye. "Much love."
He also made a point to promote his new single, since Kanye was posting screenshots anyway.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Then Kanye tweeted that although he respects different opinions, he's still sticking to his own.
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.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
"Im still the kid from the telethon," Kanye tweeted about 20 minutes later, referencing the infamous Red Cross fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina when he ranted, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” on live television.
I really appreciate this dialogue with John Legend because I'm actually very empathetic. Im still the kid from the telethon. I feel when people think of MAGA they don't think of empathy.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
At least he used his platform to promote John's single.
John Legend new single on line now 😂
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 26, 2018
Twitter queen Chrissy Teigen, who's married to John, was annoyed that people tried to get a reaction from her.
"When it comes to people we know, we DO speak up," she complained. "To THEM. not on Twitter."
Everyone keeps asking me to comment on shit. 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.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
But she did take the opportunity to ask Kim Kardashian if their dinner plans were still on.
@KimKardashian are we still doing dinner Friday or no lol
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
Their husbands' discussion didn't stop their plans, but Kim did have a suggestion: "maybe no phones."
Yes but maybe no phones 🤣📵📵📵📵😂 https://t.co/zIEZS28DXC
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) April 26, 2018
And Chrissy wrote off the Kanye/John dialogue as "the most elaborate and complex google pixel phone ad." She and John recently starred in an ad for the Pixel, and Kanye's green texts to John show that he's actually using it.
This is the most elaborate and complex google pixel phone ad I have ever seen. https://t.co/RYSZcJxUk3
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 26, 2018
The dialogue between Kanye and John is important because it shows that people with conflicting views can still have a productive conversation. But more importantly, it brings John's Pixel ad to light, where he finally accepts that he looks like Arthur.
JOHN LEGEND ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT HE LOOKS LIKE ARTHUR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAPPENED IN 2018 pic.twitter.com/UGIBg7s82D
— laura ✨ (@daisyrdley) April 26, 2018
So there's your dose of Trump/Kanye drama for the day.