At this point, it’s well known that Kanye West has had his share of not-so-pleasant moments, even before he made anti-Semitic comments last month. One of his most infamous moments occurred when he appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live back in 2018. After the show, the rapper went on a rant fueled by his support of then-U.S. President Donald Trump. While the moment didn’t actually make it to air, it was still documented by cast members and others who were in attendance. Comedian Chris Redd was on the show at that time, and he’s provided some insight into what it was like to be in the room when things went down.
Leaked clips from that SNL taping show Kanye West wearing a Make America Great Again cap and lecturing the studio audience. The entertainer was subsequently booed by the crowd with the episode’s host, Chris Rock, even expressing his disbelief in the background. Chris Redd could actually recall what happened in the lead-up to the highly controversial moment. Apparently, Redd believed that the “Jesus Walks” performer was preparing to pull some “bullshit” on stage:
I remember the dress rehearsal where he tried his dress rehearsal version of that, and I heard it, but there was music playing still so people were like sitting there and vibing. But I was listening to his words, and I was like, bro, he’s about to pull some bullshit. And I’m not about to be on stage for that. I’m not going to entertain this. Like, I’ve been a fan of Kanye my whole life. And I miss the old Kanye.
These days, Kanye West has developed a specific reputation for himself, one that’s far different from the persona he forged when he rose to prominence in the early 2000s. He’s become notorious for making polarizing statements. In addition to the recent anti-Semitic rhetoric he’s shared, he’s also made false claims about the death of George Floyd. As a result of these things, West has lost numerous business deals. Floyd’s family also filed a major lawsuit against him, which may include political commentator Candace Owens.
Chris Redd shared more about his first-hand experience with the Grammy winner as part of his interview with The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast (on which he also discussed his recent attack at a comedy club). Among the things discussed was Ye’s apparent dislike of Redd’s impression of him. The Disjointed alum also didn’t hold back when share more thoughts on the musician’s “disrespectful” intentions for that SNL taping:
But he came in there wanting to shoot everybody—verbally—and I just felt that was disrespectful, because we’re all grown adults. And now all of us don’t like you. He just came in there with a chip on his shoulder, ready to talk shit.
Of course, Chris Redd won’t have to worry about any of those kinds of situations on Saturday Night Live moving forward. Redd confirmed his exit from the show in September ahead of the Season 48 premiere and, he stated during the podcast interview, he’s going to miss being on the show. He’ll have plenty of memories, though, including his last infamous run-in with Ye at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
You can revisit some of the comic’s best work by streaming past episodes of Saturday Night Live by streaming them with a Peacock subscription.
