Kanye West, now legally Ye, has long mixed groundbreaking music with headline-grabbing behavior. Between chart successes, polarizing statements, volatile social media moments, and a public love life, he remains one of pop culture’s most discussed artists. Below is a concise, up-to-date guide to his notable relationships, oft-stated beliefs, and the antics that shaped his reputation for how each chapter intersected with his career, from Vultures 1 to “Carnival” topping the Hot 100.
At a glance: 10 moments that defined Ye’s public narrative
- Sep 13, 2009 – Interrupts Taylor Swift’s VMA speech, fueling a years-long pop culture storyline.
- Nov 2016 – Hospitalized and cancels the Saint Pablo tour after onstage rants and exhaustion reports.
- May 1, 2018 – On TMZ Live says slavery “sounds like a choice,” then attempts to reframe as “mental prison.”
- Oct 11, 2018 – Oval Office monologue in a MAGA hat, saying it made him feel like “Superman.”
- July 19, 2020 – South Carolina rally remark that Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves,” drawing widespread criticism.
- Oct 9, 2022 – Tweet about going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” leads to account restrictions.
- Dec 1-2, 2022 – Tells Alex Jones “I like Hitler,” then posts a swastika inside a Star of David on Twitter (now X) and is suspended.
- Oct 25, 2022 – Adidas ends the Yeezy partnership after antisemitic remarks; liquidation of remaining inventory follows.
- Feb 10, 2024 – Releases the Ty Dolla $ign collaboration Vultures 1; the single Carnival later hits No. 1 on the Hot 100.
- Feb 2025 – Says on a podcast he has been diagnosed with autism, revisiting years of public discussion about his mental health.
His girlfriends and partners, in brief
Ye’s relationships have often overlapped with creative seasons and public controversies. The list below focuses on unions confirmed by the people involved or reported across reliable outlets, with timing rounded for clarity.
Alexis Phifer (2002 to 2008)
Designer Alexis Phifer dated Ye on and off from 2002 and became engaged in 2006. They ended their 18‑month engagement in April 2008 but said they remained friends.
Amber Rose (2008 to 2010)
Model and TV personality Amber Rose dated West for roughly two years. Their split in 2010 was widely reported and later referenced by both in interviews.
Kim Kardashian (2012 to 2022, married 2014)
West began dating Kim Kardashian in 2012. They married on May 24, 2014, and share four children. Kardashian filed for divorce in 2021; the divorce was finalized on Nov 29, 2022, with terms including child support and shared costs for education and security.
Irina Shayk (briefly in 2021)
In mid‑2021, West and model Irina Shayk were seen together and described by sources as casual and not serious.
Julia Fox (Jan to Feb 2022)
Actor Julia Fox confirmed dating Ye in early January 2022; by mid‑February 2022 the pair had split. Fox later reflected on the relationship as short and overwhelming.
Bianca Censori (2022 to present)
Reports surfaced in January 2023 that Ye and Bianca Censori had held a private ceremony. Documents reported in October 2023 indicated a confidential California marriage license dated December 20, 2022, making the union legal despite initial speculation. The couple have remained frequent public fixtures since.
Strange and outlandish beliefs he has voiced
Slavery, Harriet Tubman, and historical claims
- On May 1, 2018, Ye said on TMZ Live that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice” while describing a “mental prison” concept. The comment drew immediate backlash, and he later attempted to clarify the intent.
- At a July 19, 2020 rally, he said Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves”, a statement historians and commentators criticized as inaccurate and harmful.
Antisemitic statements and Nazi praise
- On Oct 9, 2022 he tweeted about going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” after which Instagram and Twitter limited his accounts.
- On Dec 1, 2022, during a broadcast with Alex Jones, he repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis. The next day he posted a swastika inside a Star of David on Twitter and was suspended.
Politics and the MAGA era
Ye’s support for Donald Trump included a televised Oval Office monologue on Oct 11, 2018 while wearing a MAGA hat, which he said made him feel like “Superman.” He used the moment to jump between policy, culture, and personal reflections, further cementing his contrarian public persona.
Religion and public faith
From 2019 onward he foregrounded Christian faith in music and pop‑up Sunday Service performances, culminating in the gospel‑leaning Jesus Is King and later the independent release of Vultures 1 in 2024 that blended secular collaborators with a now‑familiar spiritual self‑mythology.
Mental health talk and a 2025 autism claim
West has alternately discussed bipolar disorder and, in February 2025, claimed he was diagnosed with autism, reframing earlier public discussions about his mental health. Because diagnoses are private medical matters and public statements can shift, it is safest to quote West’s own words and timelines rather than assume clinical certainty.
Antics that fueled or fractured his brand
- Stage‑crashing at the 2009 VMAs became a cultural shorthand for off‑the‑rails award show moments.
- Public meltdown and hospitalization in late 2016 followed erratic onstage rants and the abrupt end of a major tour.
- Wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt at Paris Fashion Week in Oct 2022 drew condemnation given the slogan’s extremist associations.
- Social media policy violations in 2022 led to account locks and suspensions, catalyzing business damage and industry pushback.
Business consequences and musical rebound
Adidas terminated its Yeezy partnership on Oct 25, 2022, citing antisemitic and hateful remarks. The company ended production and payments and later liquidated remaining Yeezy inventory, with portions directed to anti‑hate groups, effectively closing a flagship fashion chapter in Ye’s business life. In March 2025, Reuters reported Adidas had sold through the last Yeezy pairs.
Even as the fashion fallout unfolded, Ye’s music cut through. On Feb 10, 2024 he and Ty Dolla $ign released Vultures 1 independently. The track Carnival reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the next month, marking West’s fifth Hot 100 leader and extending his run of chart‑toppers into a third decade. However one views the antics, the charts reflected an audience still engaging with the records.
Bottom line
Across romances, beliefs, and antics, Ye’s public life has rarely left the front page. The documented pattern is clear: a cycle of provocation, backlash, and reinvention that can derail business ties yet still generate outsized musical attention. If you follow him for the art, keep a clear‑eyed view of the history around the headlines and return to the primary sources when claims are extraordinary. That approach respects both the music and the communities affected by the words surrounding it.
