John Legend has opened up about the moment he believes Kanye West began to unravel — and it’s not recent.
In a new interview with The Times, Legend revealed that he first noticed a shift in Kanye following the death of his mother, Donda West, in 2007. It goes without saying Legend also knew Kanye well too. He was once signed to Ye’s GOOD Music label and launched his debut album Get Lifted with West at the helm.
“After his mother passed… there was definitely a difference,” Legend said in the recent interview. “His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently.”
That descent, as Legend puts it, has reached a disturbing new low. Ye’s recent behaviour — from declaring “I love Hitler” to peddling swastika-themed merch online — has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. And while Legend made it clear he’s not interested in playing armchair psychologist, the message is obvious: something has changed, and it’s not just controversial, it’s actually dangerous now.
Legend, who distanced himself from West after Ye’s MAGA-era antics and failed presidential run, didn’t mince words. “I didn’t see a hint of what we’re seeing now — his obsessions with antisemitism, anti-Blackness… It’s sad to see his devolution.”
The split between the two was cemented years ago, with Legend stating in 2022 that their friendship couldn’t survive public disagreements over politics. But what makes his latest comments land harder is the contrast — not just between who Kanye was and who he’s become, but what he used to represent. “Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted… he had big dreams for everyone around him,” Legend said. “It feels sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.”
As West spirals further into extremism — both online and off — it’s increasingly clear that former collaborators aren’t just stepping away for optics. They’re watching someone they once trusted self-destruct in real time.
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