John Legend Revealed the Reason He and Kanye West Are No Longer Friends
John Legend and Kanye West stopped speaking in 2018 after West leaked private texts with his pal. In 2022, Legend explained what happened.
Celebrity
John Legend says Kanye West ended their friendship when Legend didn't support his presidential run. Legend has been quiet about the situation since.
by Andrea Francese
Published on February 7, 2025
Kanye West’s partner, Bianca Censori, caused a stir when she went basically nude at the Grammy Awards. Chrissy Teigen opted for a sheer but less risque option, too. While Censori and Teigen don’t appear acquainted with each other, their life partners certainly once were. Kanye West and Teigen’s husband, John Legend, used to be great friends. In fact, Kanye West, in a roundabout way, led Legend to meet Chrissy Teigen. The once-friends were spotted together all over Hollywood and worked together on their debut albums. They are no longer friendly. In fact, the former pals had a very public falling out. So, why exactly did they stop talking?
Kanye West and Bianca Censori made headlines last week for their Grammy Awards antics. They’ve been making headlines for years for their odd fashion choices if we are being fair. While the world talks about the couple, Kanye West’s former friend, John Legend, has opted to stay quiet. After he spoke about his falling out with West in 2022, he’s remained mum about the music producer’s recent string of troubles and scandals. But why did they stop talking in the first place?
Kanye West and Bianca Censori at the 67th GRAMMY Awards | Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images
Their falling out actually took place in 2018. Kanye West and John Legend stopped talking because of their different political beliefs. West was reportedly enraged when Legend refused to support his ill-fated presidential run. Eventually, West leaked screenshots of texts Legend had sent him about the issue. Â
L-R: John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Kanye West | Jeff Kravitz/MTV1415/FilmMagic
Legend has been outspoken about his political leanings for years and continues to speak openly about his beliefs. West became reclusive after his failed bid, deleting and reactivating his social media accounts several times since then. He most recently reactivated Instagram, with posts directly related to Censori’s naked dress, in the last week. However, it is unclear how long he’ll remain on the platform.
While Legend is set on his decision to keep his distance from Kanye West, the musician isn’t exactly angry with his former pal. In fact, he wasn’t even mad at West for leaking texts Legend had sent him, a move that many fans felt crossed a line. Legend doesn’t seem overly concerned with his privacy on the matter.
John Legend and Kanye West at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards | Jeff Kravitz/MTV1415/FilmMagic
In fact, Legend seems mostly OK with the leaked messages. In a chat with The New Yorker, Legend said he thought the texts were fine. He said he believes people got to see him approaching his former friend with kindness and empathy. He isn’t embarrassed by what he said or bothered by those texts being made public. As for where he stands with West, as of 2022, he was keeping the door open, stating it was up to West to decide if he could get over what happened between them.