Kanye West made an appearance on the premiere of Jay Leno’s new show last night. West was scheduled to perform with Jay-Z and Rihanna, but in light of the controversy over his obnoxious stage crash at Sunday’s VMAs he also came on to say sowwry. Kanye wore black but left the sunglasses off, as he’s been known to wear throughout interviews that don’t involve a big mea culpa. Kanye said he was sorry, that he is still hurting after his mom died and that he tried to transfer that hurt to someone else and that was wrong. He said he’s been working too hard and that he needs to take some time off to get his head on straight:
In an interview on Jay Leno’s first primetime show on NBC Monday night, Kanye West blames the pain from his mother’s 2007 death for causing him to ambush Taylor Swift at Sunday night’s MTV VMAs.
“You know, I deal with hurt,” said West — who grabbed the mic from Swift, 17, as she accepted her Best Female Video award. “And you know, so many celebrities, they never take time off. I’ve never taken the time off to really — you know, just music after music and tour after tour.
“I’m just ashamed that my hurt caused someone else’s hurt — and I don’t try to justify it because I was just in the wrong. That’s period,” he went on. “But I need to, after this, take some time off and just analyze how I’m going to make it through the rest of this life, how I’m going to improve. Because I am a celebrity, and that’s something I have to deal with.
“And if there’s anything I could do to help Taylor in the future or help anyone, I’d like — you know, I want to live this thing. It’s hard sometimes,” he said.
When Leno asked West if his mom, Donda, who died from plastic surgery complications, would have been disappointed in his behavior, he admitted, “Yeah.”
West — who appeared on the show to perform “Run This Town” with Jay-Z and Rihanna — said it’s been an “extremely difficult” day.
“Just dealing with the fact that I hurt someone or took anything away, you know, from a talented artist or from anyone, because I only wanted to help people,” he said. “My entire life, I’ve only wanted to give and do something that I felt was right. And I immediately knew in the situation that it was wrong, and it wasn’t a spectacle or just — you know, it’s actually someone’s emotions, you know, that I stepped on. And it was very — it was just — it was rude, period.
“And, you know, I’d like to be able to apologize to her in person. And I wanted to….” he said.
When Leno asked when he knew he was doing something wrong, West said, “As soon as I gave the mic back to her and she didn’t keep going.”
[From US Weekly]
I really wanted to bash the guy, but after watching the segment I have to say that I got the impression that Kanye was genuinely choked up about what he did and you could see that he’s really struggling. He did seem sorry and embarrassed and I think he’s going to try to change. Compare Kanye’s obvious shame and hurt with Chris Brown’s multiple arrogant dismissive half-apologies after he beat the crap out of Rihanna. Kanye didn’t look like he was acting to me at all and seemed really upset and sorry. Obviously these are two very different incidents, but Kanye feels like a loser – deservedly so – and he clearly feels bad about what he did. Kanye is a jackass, but he knows it and he understands that he hurt someone. Maybe all that crap about being the best is just a lot of hype for him to hide behind, and maybe this is the wakeup call he needs to shed that ridiculous bravado. He didn’t beat anybody up, he just let his ego do the talking and embarrassed a young woman and himself. He might just learn how to control himself from now on. We’ll see.
How could you NOT know that it was wrong from the beginning? Come on, the only reason he is even remotely trying to apologize is because the entire country has weighed in on this and it is not in West’s favor. Yes, he is sorry, but for the reaction his stunt has brought and not for the act itself.
He isn’t sorry for what he did to Swift, he is sorry for what he has done to himself, so apology is an epic fail!
smeh…. he may be sorry, but I’m sure it will happen again.
Meh.
He’s still a douchebag.
Amen to that Firestarter!
He’s finally screwed himself into the ground with this one – he’s a complete loose canon and worse than a d-bag, he’s an a**-wipe.
Let’s hope you guys don’t ever do some wrong and need some one to forgive you for it.
He is a TOOL! It’s all… me me me my my my… all still about him!
What a a%$hole
Nev… Someone? He did it on LIVE TV! He wants us all to forgive his stupid a$$.. not going to happen.
The fact that this says “genuine” says it all… it’s just lip service
well he didn’t have to apologize, if anyone knows anything about kanye he isn’t the type to apologize for his comments… we’ll see if he’s truly sorry… i’ll be waiting for the kanye/taylor duet
This is some BS apology if I ever heard one. I don’t care how long or short ago your mother died, there are things a halfways sane person just doesn’t do. Insulting Taylor, his mother’s passing and his alleged hurt have nothing to do with each other. Kanye just has no mental blocks for anything he does because he feels so damn entitled all the time. If nobody had called him on it, he surely wouldn’t even have begun thinking about what he did and that it might have been rude.
What a douche.
Everytime he “apologizes” it just makes me angrier because he keeps trying to absolve himself of responsibility for his actions. Stop making excuses for why you did it!! I’m sorry, but it’s not my fault I did it because… is not a real apology!
And it really bothers me that he refers to himself as a celebrity. He may be big in certain circles, but when I was watching the VMAs, I thought who is that guy taking the mic from Taylor Swift?
Nev- I have done plenty wrong and I have not expected to be forgiven for the things I may have done, as I should have thought those acts through before ever having done them.
I have no problem in apologizing, but to be honest, I find that apologies are lame, and a means to make yourself feel better and not to make the other person feel better. Not doing whatever it is, in the beginning is the best way to respect someone, not an “I’m sorry”.
My opinion only.
I don’t know if he’d pull that stunt again or not but he gave a heartfelt apology and that’s all anyone can really ask. Hopefully, Taylor and her family can accept his apology. I’d like to see him get himself some help.
Wow, I didn’t think he had that much sincerity and honest emotion in him. I would accept this apology if he were giving it to me.
couldn’t agree with you more NEV, Kanye was definitely in the wrong, and he is a egotastical d bag…but damn he didn’t take the mic and smack the girl over the head with it, he apologized and Taylor is now more popular than ever… i honestly didn’t even know who she was before all of this
He was an a-hole before his mom died, so what was his excuse then? Dont get me wrong I feel for anyone who has lost a loved one but this isnt his 1st outburst… im sure its not his last either!
Bottom line, it matters not what any of us think of his apology, it matters what the people involved think. So if it satisfies them who cares what we think.
My mom died when I was 15 years old.. Never acted out like that. ever.
time to stop playing the victim, kanye.
He was a raging idiot before his mom passed away. His underlying problem as I see it, is his GIANT EGO. Everytime he issues a statement he’s always blaming somebody or something else for his failings as a mature adult. Good start, but, “prove it”.
Until he deals with his general assholeyness and his drinking problem he will continue to be a douche.
he’s only apologizing because he’s lost soooo many fans and he’s the most hated person in America .. I don’t buy the apology and I don’t think Taylor should either!!
I doubt he learned a thing. And more publicity for him. (thanks Leno, not appreciated) This is a repeat offender. Let the powers that be (those who put this pr*ck in media situations) have learned their lesson so he can’t pull this crap again. Of course, we will see him again though. That’s just how it goes. Stupidity repeats itself because it makes headlines.
I don’t buy it-he’s EXTREMELY sorry now because his first two apologies weren’t doing it for us.
What a classless, douchebabyman. His mother did a horrible job of raising him, and now we have to listen to his fake, self-serving apology!
man I swear, everybody wants to jump down the man’s throat for makin the baby cry. it was wrong for sure. but did anyone actually see the interview? KANYE CRIED ON THAT COUCH! the man is sorry, he is stepping away to deal. taylor moves on to win a grammy, and we get over it!
Why does he have crop circles on his head? I demand an apology for that atrocity of a haircut… :/
whatever…..THINK BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR BIG OBNOXIOUS MOUTH!
oh please, spare me the BALONEY! Kayne ONLY started to get choked up because Leno asked him what would his mother say if she saw that. Before that, he was not choked up, he was acting sorry, but definitely not crying.
Bringing up anybody’s recently deceased mother is going to make them choke up.
He most certainly was not choked up because of Taylor Swift. And he deserves all the abuse he’s gotten from what he did the other night!
I felt bad for him and was mortified when Jay asked “what would your mother think of this?”. Yes, what he did was mean, BUT, Taylor Swift did get to deliver her speech later. The impression I got from his apology was he was trying to “be Kanye West” and create a spectacle and only afterward did he actually realize he had crushed this poor girl. I think it did affect him and I honestly think that his apology was genuine. He’s probably suffered alot of abuse the past few days.
WTH is Jay bringing Kanye’s recently dead mother into this? what, he’s freaking Diane Sawyer now?
Anyways, aw… what a sweet heartfelt apology. obviously he regrets what he did, and wants to grow as a person. I respect that, and I hope he get the help he needs.
That boy displayed some real bad manners at the award show. A tweet or blog was in no way going to fix his mess. He seemed sorry and even uncomfortable in the Leno interview. The ego has crash landed at last.
I agree w/ the aforementioned post about only crying about his mom, not the apology itself. And lena- nobody has to hit Taylor Swift in the head to make her more famous than what she is. She earned the award, she didn’t get it b/c Kanye made her more famous…which he didnt. He cant even control himself let alone somebody else’s fame. Im w/ firestarter when they said dont do anything you have to apologize for. That is true respect. F*** Kanye and his lame ass apology.
You know, I really feel lukewarm about all this. I mean sure, he was rude and terrible, but this seems pretty minor. Out of all the starlets she’s likely the best one to have this happen to: smart enough to learn something positive from it and not drama-oriented enough to make this into some retarded circus. Kayne has seemed to have flashes of insight into his personality via his blogs (especially the one about being a gay fish and admitting his ego was to big). Perhaps the increasing frequency of insight will lead to something more permanent…
Nobody was shot, died, or suffered being confined to some crazy a**hat’s backyard. These people come across to me as types who would learn from this experience and grow from it.
That is, if Michael K’s theory of it being a total set-up is untrue. The bottle Kayne carried does seem kinda telling.
This has nothing to do with Kanye, and it may have already been asked but what exactly is the point of this Jay Leno show?
I didn’t watch it, but from this it seems like the Tonight Show. Why did they kick so many shows off the air to do this?
Because, Meghan, for some unknown reason people actually tune in regularly to watch that unfunny idiot tell knock knock jokes and do cringe worthy interviews.
I just think its funny that people are so shocked that maybe Kanye’s apology shouldn’t be accepted. People say they are sorry for things all the time and because they say it-we have to accept it? why? I’ll make a bet with anyone that this isn’t even close to being the last time he has an outburst or throws a fit like this in public. History is the best way to predict the future and we’ve seen this so many times. I agree it’s up to the parties involved to accept or deny his apology-and knowing this girl, she will accept it because she’s sweet and classy. But I have big doubts he’s sorry he upset her-he’s just sorry he’s getting crap about it. If no one cared or made any comments-he wouldn’t have thought twice about it.
stacy re-read my post
i said it’s not like hit her the girl over the head with a mic… meaning that some people are pratically pulling out their torches and demanding a beheading over this. On other sites i have read posts where people are using the “N” word to describe Kanye. If he didn’t apologize people would have a problem with that, he did the right thing which he didn’t have to do and people are still trying to throw the man under the bus…all because he behaved like a d-bag. He didn’t beat the girl up (chris brown), kill any dogs (mike vick), and he’s not dating Eric from TRUE BLOOD (evan rachel wood);-)
And as i stated before Taylor is more popular/well known now because of kanye’s outburt, wasn’t saying she earned the award because of kanye or she didn’t deserve it. She was on CNN yesterday, and hundreds of other sites. She is more famous now because of Kanye’s outburst, i don’t think anyone can argue with that. This young lady just got a ton of free publicity..whether she needed or not
I just saw The View & Taylor Swift was on & she said he hasn’t reached out to her personally. If he really wanted to make things right, why not reach out to the person you hurt/humiliated? To me, this just proves that he’s apologizing because of all the out lash but he hasn’t learned anything & he’ll do it again.
I really think that if someone says they’re sorry, and it’s not an unforgiveable act, you should listen to what they have to say and see if they mean it. If they mean it and you feel it in your heart, then you should forgive them. But as many people have mentioned this is between Kanye and Taylor, not Kanye and all of us, even though he does have to get back into the public’s good graces to continue his career. If someone offered me an apology like this for upstaging me at an event or something similar, I would forgive them. Yes he’s done this before and he does have an ego problem, but he realizes it and if you listen to what he has to say he does seem to mean it. Compare that to Chris Brown – seriously.
I don’t buy it. What he just did was get snockered and verbally abuse a young woman. If this had been his girlfriend and he’d been at home and dont it to her we’d all scream verbal abuse and it would be unforgivable. And the whole teary eyed apology is part of how an abuser gets you back on their side. Screw up royally, burn some bridges and then cry or “humble” themselves to get back in your good graces. I call shenanagins. He didn’t get out of the cockadodie car!!!
What I want to know is what the hell is Jay no talent Leno doing with another show? MAN he sucks!!!! He stunk as a stand up and that was his main gig! Talk about being given everything on unrealised potential. He stunk up the legacy of Steve Allen and Johnny Carson and now that he is fired we still have to put up with him? Jay! Go the freek home and polish your 50 zillion collector cars and spare us.
Oh please, my farts have more sincerity thaN his, (for damge control)apologies. He was a scrotum when his mom was alive, he had many outbursts, now since her death he graduated to an a**hole and we are supposed to feel sorry for HIM.
Celebitchy-I totally agree with you, but he hasn’t apologized to her, he apologized to the public. To me that speaks volumes of what he’s really sorry for. Same with Chris Brown. Kanye is on tv apologizing to his fans, Leno, Ryan Seacrest and as far as Taylor goes as of yesterday she’s yet to get an apology. If I had done something like that and knew it was wrong when he says he knew, I would have seeked her out that night and made it right at any cost. Two days and a major shitstorm later he’s sorry. Meh. Don’t buy it.
What is his excuse for his previous behaviour then? When his mom was alive.
What a load of shit, he is a tool, period, and he will continue being a tool, he has a chip on his shoulder.
“He didn’t get out of the cockadodie car!!!”
oh, you made me LAUGH with that one!
he may be sorry but it won’t stop him from making an ass of himself in the near future.
What’s the difference between God and Kayne West?
God doesn’t think he’s Kayne
Nick…serioulsy??? verbally abused her…Come on, he said beyonce should have won an award over her…what the hell was abusive about that…poor taste in opinion maybe…but verbal abuse…NO. This is exactly what i was talking about in my earlier post…he behaved like an A** and people want to take this to another level.
Couldn’t agree more with Nev. Yah, there is no excuse for what Kanye did to Taylor at the show. And he’s not making any excuses. He owned up to it, made no excuses and seems genuinely upset about it. He said he wants to apologize to Taylor in person. The Leno show happened the day after the VMAs, give the guy a chance to make good on that intention. And Kanye didn’t bring up his mom as the reason for his behavior. Leno asked him how he’s doing about his mom, and that’s when Kanye started talking about the impact her passing has had on him. Her death may have been a couple years ago, but grief is an odd thing and if he’s buried himself in work, he probably hasn’t had a chance to properly face it and cope with it. This is a horrible society we live in these days. Who hasn’t done something really stupid and feels ashamed of him or herself about it? How would you like it if you did something, apologized sincerely for it, and people just bashed you all the more for it? Time will tell if he really is sorry, if he is going to change. Give the guy a chance. And by the way, he IS a celebrity. He’s a public figure in the entertainment industry. He didn’t call himself A-List, he didn’t say he was a superstar. He is a celebrity. People know his name. Good grief.
“how I’m going to make it through the rest of this life, how I’m going to improve” Not drinking Hennessey straight out of the bottle would be a good start, Kanye.
He does have a long history of being an asshole. And I kinda think that if you’re still acting like this in your 30s, you might be a lost cause. But if he’s really sorry and embarrassed and wants to do better … well, I wish him well. If he did straighten up and start acting like a real adult, it would be a great example for all those teenagers who admire him.
How many times does Kanye West have to show us who he is? He is an arrogant,self centered, and low rent. He always has been and he always will be. He can say he’s sorry but he will never change.
Still a douche-rocket.
C’mon seriously people! He made a mistake, BIG DEAL! He apologized and is trying to make it right – enough already. Like all of you people that are blowing out of proportion have never made a mistake yourselves! Its not like he gave her a smack down.
Kanye is very weak. I repeat, Kanye is very weak and transperant. He only felt the need to apologize because practically the whole country is against him and he sees the loss of money and fame. Regardless if Taylor Swift will be more famous now, she’s already famous and didn’t need this kind of blemish. She never asked for this. It was one of the biggest douchebag moves I’ve ever seen anyone make. Everyone needs to quit making excuses for him. He’s a grown man who’s able to make choices. Kanye is the most insecure, self-centered, racially motivated, egomaniacal, baby in the entertainment industry. I have some of his cd’s and I will never buy another. I will not support someone who not only has a problem with everyone outside of his race but also comes from such a dark and negative place. Why did he do it? He’s never answered that. Was he mad that a young caucasion girl won over Beyonce? Or was he mad that he wasn’t recognized or nominated in some way for all the brilliance that he thinks he’s the only one offering. I really think it always goes back to and is about him. He’s mad that people recognize his talents less and less and aren’t blowing his name up like he always thought they should. He’s a legend in his own mind. Since he likes to segregate himself, I think he should ask only people of his own race to purchase his music and support him. He should only go to functions that reflect how he feels about himself and others. He should have his own award show and only give awards to who he thinks should get them. That way he can feed his ego and award himself all night long. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he is a reflection of all black entertainers or black people. I just think he’s a poor excuse for a human being and a racist jerk. He just happens to be black. I only want to support artists who want to bring people together and come from a place of love not entitlement. God has given him the world and all he can do is spew shit and hate at it. I guarantee that if he got more support for what he did to Taylor, he would of never apologized. He’s only doing it because now his actions are finally starting to affect him in a negative way. He is a very angry and unhappy man and he’s about to find out why Kharma can be such a Bitch.
Oh and by the way, there are consequences to your actions. Everyone has to earn forgiveness when they mess up like this. There is more to forgiveness than just being sorry. Only time will tell if Kanye is truly wanting to change because we all know change doesn’t happen overnight.
Yeah, a mistake on national television. Humiliating a 19 year old girl isn’t a smack down, but that’s pretty damn low.
Ash, yes, its low, but he acknowledged the mistake and is trying to rectify that. I did not excuse what he did.
Umm Jen, what the hell??? Kanye is a douche to everyone regardless of race or sex…Why is race even being bought up? He’s an ass with a huge EGO who was drinking a bottle of henny on the red carpet for god sakes who happens to be friends with beyonce and jay z and stupidly felt compelled to stick up for a friend’s lost and create a controversy to get his name out there again,…god people f’in relax already! My god, he wanted attention and now he got, but he wasn’t expecting backlash
Just for kicks and giggles:
Times he said “I”: 22
Actual apology words: 10
@ Jen you seem like the type who would be calling all sorts of ugly names on another site. So save it. And Taylor is not a little girl,she is a 19 year old woman there are bigger injustices being commited to actual children that need to be protected,but I guess they don’t matter because they are not famous.
To Jen:
Fact, Kanye is a twat. We all know this. Fact, what he did was rude and totally uncalled for. However, you bringing race into this just showcases your mentality.
This is not a race issue, this is about a drunk douchebag being the arrogant twat that he is, so your rant about him being a racist proves to be very ironic in my view. People like you make me thankful that I don’t live in America anymore.
To Lena, I’d like to say that nobody likes to admit that some people have a racial agenda. This is not the first time he has shown this side of him. Also, I question the motivation behind his actions. Racism , in my opinion is only part of it. You have to look deeper than the surface to see what I’m talking about. I’m only talking about what alot of people think under the surface and don’t want to mention. The root of racism is fear which is self hate. His characteristics really fit this profile.
As far as Hunnybe, your comment to what I wrote doesn’t even make any sense and seems scattered. You contradicted yourself with the famous comment, because you are on this site as well and commenting on famous people. As far as what you think I seem like, you are wrong. I feel like I back up everything I say. People have to take responsibility for their actions, famous or not. Maybe you just didn’t understand what I wrote. Your response doesn’t really even directly deal with anything I commented on.
Londoner, fact is racism is a part of it under the surface. I just have the guts to say it. Anyone that knows about Kanye, knows this about him. It’s something we should talk about and not sweep under the rug. People are so afraid to deal with this subject. I am not pulling a race card that was never dealt. He put this out there. What was he really trying to say? My mentality is that of speaking the truth and looking at things fairly. I would never say it unless I really felt it was a factor. I like the fact that you think living outside of America makes u immune to this type of situation when it’s all over the world. You are still writing on an American blog site called Celebitchy so you are not that removed.
Londoner, by the way I really appreciate your prejudice comment about America. I find it ironic that you are in another country but you have the time to comment on this site dealing with an American celebrity story. Maybe you miss America more than you’re willing to admit. You can’t just hate on America when it’s conveniant.
Whoa. First of all, racism is everywhere no one is immune to it. You’ve proven this. The million people that voted BNP in the Euro elections have proven this. But in my experience in America in general people seemed to be hung up on colour. Everything is turned into “oh its because he’s black, oh its because he’s white”…jesus we’re all the same!
You’ve completely missed my point. What about this incident leads you to believe it was racist? Did i miss the bit where he said she shouldnt have one because she was white? The very fact that you automatically credit this to racism screams irony.
Lastly, Im well aware that this is an American website. Lovely one too. What was your point?
Londoner, whilst I agree with you about Kanye being a drunken jerk, but he doesn’t represent America.
Race doesn’t have anything to do with this. BTW, I’m Black, and several of my coworkers, poohpoohed and even wondered if his ego becoming a career-killer. Kanye was a rude little boy trying to get attention, that’s it. The media is paying him back, with interest. Let’s not argue and flame.
Beer summit!
BooJoulais, you just wrote exactly what ive been trying to say in the last 2 posts. Im having articulation problems tonight lol.
Like Prez Obama, cooler heads must prevail. I’m burnt out from ‘town hall’ mentality.
Jen, please list some examples of where Kanye has showed racist behavior, because i honestly just see him as an a** hole, not a racist… he’s dating a woman who i believe is half white and as far as i know racists don’t date outside of their race. Kanye was drunk and stupid that night looking for attention, the apology seems sincere and Kanye NEVER apologizes for any of his comments “George Bush hate black people” should ring a bell
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror…….I’m asking him to change his ways……”
I think it’s time to move on. Kanye’s a dick, this is not news, and what he did was ignorant and definitely deserving of a backlash. But it’s gotten out of hand now. People need to chill out and move on; there are far far greater things to worry about (and far douchier celebs to mock 😛
let’s not confuse the issues.
first: did he apologise? yes he did, sincerely. and Taylor accepted his apology. moving on.
second: is he a tool? absolutely. your personality doesn’t change just bec you apologise for an error.
Kanye probably thought he was doing something cool and shocking at the VMAs. lots of people do cool and shocking things at the VMAs. Lady Gaga performed in blood and wore a beehive on her face. Eminem went along with a prank involving Bruno. it’s the VMAs, people do stupid things for attention and think that they’re being cool and shocking. Kanye showed up with his bizarre hairstyle, a bottle of hennessy, and his ho and thought he was being the coolest thing. dude does not know that he is a tool. insight is not his strong suit.
like he said, he only realized that he had made a mistake when he handed Taylor back the mic and she did not continue speaking. he seemed to have expected her to roll with his play. and then she didn’t.
kanye: the people have one message for you: Disappear and never return.
Jen I agree with what you have said. In re: to Kanye you have the facts correct. I can’t believe that people are making excuses for his lack of civility. He is giving a bad example to the children and teenagers of this generation, that you can disrespect and disregard another human beings feelings, accomplishments etc.,
His problems go beyond being egotistical, his insecurities are evident and he is a loose canon.
He is a joke! He is not an artist and is completely untalented. He has brought nothing new or fresh to the music industry, and I find his voice and music irritating.
i dont like him anymore….whatever he is an A@#HOLE
I’m glad someone finally brought civility into this. It’s not racist, it’s not hateful. Here’s another issue no one’s really mentioned – Swift sings country music, maybe West had an issue with her winning out of her genre. Who knows. No one’s really asked him, and he’s never offered to say what he hoped to accomplish by doing it. All I know is, the reason I have issue with it is because, no matter how “wild and crazy” the show is, that was still a big moment for her, it would’ve been a big moment for anyone, and whether he believes he has a sense of humor or not, there is a level of civility and respect you would think “celebrities” might have for their peers in a situation like that. Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Can’t speak for everyone else, I’m just a big fan of people with public influence behaving respectfully. And he never has. Just a waste of popularity.