What you say on SNL, does not stay on SNL — even if what you say ultimately doesn't make it to air. After Kanye West appeared on Saturday Night Live and praised Donald Trump while wearing a MAGA hat in an unaired segment, many celebrities took to social media to rip into the "Black Skinhead" rapper.
While Captain America (aka Chris Evans) called out West on Twitter, claiming that "there's nothing more maddening than debating someone who doesn’t know history, doesn’t read books, and frames their myopia as virtue," it was "Love" singer Lana Del Rey whose criticism of the mogul is particularly interesting. The reason? Del Rey, West, and West's wife Kim Kardashian are seemingly friends — or at least were once mutual fans of each other.
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On an Instagram post of West wearing that aggressively red hat, per Mashable, the singer compared West to the current POTUS.
"Trump becoming our president was a loss for the country but your support of him is a loss for the culture," Del Rey wrote. "I can only assume you relate to his personality on some level. Delusions of grandeur, extreme issues with narcissism — none of which would be a talking point if we weren't speaking about the man leading our country."
She also referenced Trump's famous Access Hollywood tape:
"If you think it's alright to support someone who believes it's OK to grab a woman by the pussy just because he's famous then you need an intervention as much as he does — something so many narcissists will never get because there just isn't enough help for the issue."
Del Rey concluded with:
"Message sent with concern that will never be addressed."
That "concern" may be because, at one point in their lives, Del Rey considered West a friend. During a 2013 interview with Power 106, West claimed he asked Del Rey to sing at his proposal to Kardashian, who tweeted earlier that year that she was a fan of Del Rey's song for the Great Gatsby soundtrack, "Young & Beautiful."
I can't get this Lana del Rey song out of my head! #youngandbeautiful
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 14, 2013
Later, when the paparazzi asked the "West Coast" crooner if she did, in fact, turn the invitation down, she said, per TMZ's video: "I would never deny his request, that's not true."
Flashforward to 2014, and Del Rey performed at Kardashian and West's pre-wedding party at Versailles. She apparently did it for free, telling TMZ:
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"I would never let a friend pay me to sing at a wedding."
The good vibes were very apparent when, in 2015, Kardashian shared a throwback photo to Twitter of her and West posing with the singer, with a heart emoji in the caption.
Then, in February of 2018, Kardashian interviewed Del Rey for L'Official, as a "fan" of the singer.
"I really like what you’re doing now," Del Rey said of Kardashian during the interview. "I love your style update, with your hair and the nudes and mauves. I’m watching you. I’ve got my eye on you."
Kardashian, for her part, is standing by West. After the SNL controversy, she tweeted about her husband's upcoming album Yandhi, which had its release date pushed back to Thanksgiving weekend in the US.
Nov 23 Black Friday YANDHI TRUST ME it is worth the wait ???????????????
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 1, 2018
Guess Del Rey won't be guesting on that album.
Refinery29 has reached out to West, Kardashian and Del Rey for comment.
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