In a behind-the-scenes TikTok video posted by “The Daily Show,” the host Trevor Noah shutting down an audience member who asked him why he’s fighting with kanye-west. An alleged feud between the two took place earlier this year after Noah condemned West for his relentless trolling of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian on social media. West responded by directing a racial slur at Noah on Instagram, leading to West being temporarily banned from the platform for one day.
“Why am I fighting with Kanye? That’s an interesting way to put it because one meat has to go both ways,” Noah told the audience member. “It really does. In my limited understanding of the world, feuding has always been something that usually happens between two hip hop artists. I never had a fight with Kanye West. I was worried about Kanye West.”
West has sparked controversy in recent weeks for making racist and anti-Semitic comments in various interviews. West has said during the controversial media blitz that he battles mental illness, which has led to people defending West this time around regarding his anti-Semitic comments. Noah didn’t specifically address West’s latest comments, but he did question why the media continues to give West a platform when it’s known he has mental health issues.
“If someone tells me they have a mental health problem,” Noah said, “and they tell everyone that when they’re not on their medication they can’t control themselves, and then everyone ignores when that person has an episode and they haven’t taken their medication, and then they give the person a platform and then they put it up… Sometimes I think it’s a bit horrible, to be honest with you.”
“My grandfather was bipolar,” Noah continued. “I’m not saying Kanye is. I’m just saying my grandfather was bipolar, and one thing we found out was when he was having one of his episodes. He could act a certain way and he could do certain things… but our job was to support him. It would be weird if I was there thinking, ‘Oh, my grandpa is having an episode again.’ I’m going viral tonight!’ I think it’s a bit strange.”
“I have no problem with a human being who has openly expressed that they are dealing with a mental health issue. I have no problem with that human being,” Noah said. “What I have a problem with is us as a society not rallying around the person and saying, ‘Hey, maybe this isn’t the time to put a microphone in your face so you can just walk away saying everything.’ . If this is what he means when he is taking his medication, then that is a different story. But because you told us that, I’m not going to sit back and say that.”
Noah concluded by saying that he’s “never had a problem” with Kanye West, adding, “I’m still playing ‘College Dropout.’ You know, and I don’t take that for granted. But I made a promise to myself that I’ll never be the person who just sits around and gleefully says things about people I care about and then also joins the group of mourners and acts like I’m not part of it. Too many people like to cry for you when you’re dead and don’t say anything to you when you’re alive. So I don’t know where to end. But that’s it.”
The TikTok below is not the first time Noah has addressed his relationship with West. During an August 2022 interview on variety Awards Circuit Podcastthe host discussed why he decided to make public comments about West’s behavior in the first place.
“I feel more comfortable speaking my mind in situations where I feel like the mob forgets we’re dealing with human beings,” Noah said at the time. “It’s easy to sit on the sidelines, see a train wreck coming and say nothing about it. And then after the train goes off the tracks, we’re like, ‘Oh, I saw that coming!’ Well, then why didn’t you say anything? Especially if you have some kind of platform, you have some kind of obligation to tell the truth. You know, see something and say something.”
Noah’s final comments followed those of Howard Stern. viral reaction to West’s anti-Semitic comments. Stern compared West to Hitler and criticized West’s supporters who say the rapper has mental health issues.
“Fuck this mental illness, self-defense he’s into,” Stern said. “You know, like, ‘Oh yeah, he just has a mental illness. Don’t worry about it… ‘If he’s so mentally ill, why don’t they assign him a guardian over his money like they did poor Britney Spears?
Watch TikTok “The Daily Show” in the video below.
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