Kanye West did not appear on Infowars, as Alex Jones claimed he would on Twitter Wednesday. Refinery29 has reached out to West's representatives for comment and will update this post should we hear back.
This story was originally published on May 2, 2018.
It turns out that Kanye West proclaiming his love of Donald Trump wasn't even close to the most controversial thing the rapper could do this month. The "Black Skinhead" rapper has a new platform for his philoso-ye, and apparently, it's on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars.
On Wednesday, May 2, West is scheduled to appear on Jones' live show in order to explain comments he made to TMZ Live about how slavery was a "choice." It's a decision so profoundly odd that I'm unsure how West — or his wife, Kim Kardashian — will explain it.
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No matter how you feel about West's latest tweets or declarations of "free thinking," aligning himself with Jones is a dramatic step that I'm not sure he can come back from. This is not a case of West bridging a political gap: It's him condoning a man who spreads not just false information, but damaging and cruel lies that have directly affected some of the most vulnerable.
Jones is a noted conspiracy theorist who slings his provably false claims around on his show. In America, he has as much right to do this as anyone else does. These "views," unfortunately, include things like that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax orchestrated by the government. In fact, earlier in April, parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting filed a defamation lawsuit against Jones for spreading false information.
Megyn Kelly, who was heavily criticized for having Jones on her own talk show, had this to say about the maligned radio host:
"Some thought we shouldn’t broadcast this interview because his baseless allegations aren't just offensive, they're dangerous. But here’s the thing: Alex Jones isn’t going away. Over the years his YouTube channel has racked up 1.3 billion views. He has millions of listeners and the ear of our current president."
That's specifically the problem here: Jones is not just some troll on Twitter, but a person whose voice is heard by millions. West is a similar voice in our culture, and by going on Jones' show, and using it as a platform for his own speech, he's essentially validating that platform. Or, rather, he's aligning himself — a man who claims to spread love for all — with a man who cruelly dismisses the plight of the parents of murder victims as actors in a government coverup.
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It's important to note that West isn't the first "star" to go on Jones' talk show. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag previously joined the host on InfoWars during their vacation in Hawaii. (They also went snorkeling, apparently?)
Why would West, who believes he has some important truth to share, choose to do it via Jones' platform? I have no answers, and I won't be watching Infowars to find out.
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