By Jack Hill

Photo courtesy of MCV magazine.

American rapper Kanye West, who is now officially named Ye, has instigated a social media feud with Saturday Night Live actor and comedian Pete Davidson following Ye’s divorce from social media influencer Kim Kardashian.

Ye is no stranger to starting beef with various celebrities over the past few years, including Drake, Taylor Swift, and even Peppa Pig. In 2009, Ye interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech at the Grammys, and over the past decade, Ye has traded disses with rapper Drake in some of his songs. 

Kardashian and Ye had been married since May 24, 2014, but after feeling unfulfilled with her marriage, Kardashian filed for a divorce on February 19, 2021, nearly seven years into her marriage. Kardashian stated during the June 2021 Keeping Up With the Kardashians reunion special that there was not “one specific thing that happened on either part.” Instead, “a general difference of opinions on a few things” led to her decision. Since their divorce, both Ye and Kardashian have had partners, with Ye dating actress Julia Fox for one month in February, and Kardashian sparking a new relationship with Davidson. However, Ye disapproves of Kardashian’s choice to date other men and has since started a feud with Davidson.

In October 2021, Kardashian and Davidson appeared together on SNL in a skit in which they shared a kiss. Only a few weeks after this SNL episode, the two were spotted together in an amusement park. The couple has since been seen together numerous times, confirming that they are together and in a relationship.  

Davidson and Kardashian together in an SNL skit.                    Photo courtesy of Complex.

Ye caught wind of the romance between Kardashian and Davidson and publicly disapproved via Instagram. Not only has he antagonized the relationship, but he also appears to have engaged in personal beef with Davidson. And in a recent leak of text messages between the two, Davidson initiated a conversation with Ye, “Can you please take a second and calm down,” he wrote. “It’s 8 am and it don’t gotta be like this.”

Davidson later called Kardashian the best mother he’s ever met and says that Ye is lucky that she’s the mother of his children North, Psalm, Saint, and Chicago.

“I’m not gonna let you treat us like this and I’m done being quiet,” Davidson wrote.

Ye then asked where Davidson is, to which Davidson replied, “In bed with your wife” and sent a picture of himself in bed with Kardashian.

Ye replied by saying he’s happy Davidson, who has been very open about his mental health and substance abuse struggles, is out of “the hospital and rehab.” This is a reference to Davidson’s mental health that he had been struggling with for the past years. In 2017, Davidson was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and in the year following went into mental rehab. 

A frame of the claymation from the song “Eazy,” where a dark figure, allegedly Ye, hovers over the head of Davidson. Photo courtesy of GRM daily.

Davidson subsequently requested that the two settle this beef in person, “man to man” texted Davidson. Ye suggested meeting at one of his Sunday services, but Davidson refused, not wanting any press around their conversation.

The conflict between the two goes further than just words, On March 2, Ye released a four-minute claymation animation video for his song “Eazy.” (Warning: Video and lyrics may be offensive to some readers.) In the video, Ye can be seen burying someone who resembles Davidson while the song raps “God saved me from that crash/ Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass.” 

Apart from his dispute with Davidson, Ye has also recently made headlines since his divorce after making racist comments toward South African comedian Trevor Noah. 

Following Noah’s episode of The Daily Show, where Noah addressed Kardashian and her new relationship with Davidson, poking fun at Ye and the new relationship, Ye shared a screenshot of a google search of Noah, along with some comments of his that used a racial slur multiple times. Along with endless backlash from the internet, Ye was also banned from performing at the Grammys and had his Instagram account banned for 24 hours following his racist remarks.

West continues to diminish his reputation and worsen his conflict not only with Davidson and Noah but also with his ex-wife, the mother of their four kids. His repeated antagonizing of other people and persistent toxicity and volatility has upset Kardashian. 

Featured image credit: USA Today