The next step in Kanye “Ye” West’s attempted comeback hit a major setback this week when the U.K. blocked the rapper’s entry into the country ahead of a major music festival he was set to headline.
Travel Ban
As reported on Wednesday’s AM Update, West has been working to reenter the public sphere after years of controversy derailed much of his career, including a series of antisemitic remarks beginning in 2022 that led major partners like Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap, and talent agency CAA to cut ties.
In January, West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for his past statements and attributing his behavior in part to bipolar disorder. He wrote that during manic episodes, “you feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”
Despite the repeated controversy, his latest album Bully debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 late last month, making it his fourteenth top-10 album, according to Variety. Meanwhile, the “Gold Digger” rapper sold out two shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last week, with Bloomberg reported those concerts netted him $33 million.
Ye had been aiming to build on that momentum this summer. He was announced as the headliner of London’s Wireless Festival in July, which is one of the largest hip-hop festivals in Europe drawing about 50,000 people a day. That announcement sent corporate sponsors fleeing, with major brands like PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch InBev withdrawing their support.
And then the British government got involved. West’s travel authorization was denied reportedly because officials determined his presence would not be “conducive to the public good.” In response, event organizers canceled the Wireless Festival altogether and are issuing refunds to ticket holders. West has yet to publicly respond following the cancellation.
Rejecting ‘Cancel Culture’
This is not the first time the Grammy-winner has attempted to get back in the public’s good graces. In 2023, he issued an apology in Hebrew on social media ahead of the release of his Vultures 1 album collaboration with Ty Dolla Sign. The record debuted at number one on the charts, but West described his new sound as “antisemitic” just a year later.
Regardless of whether you think West’s latest reformation will stick, Megyn said on Wednesday’s Megyn Kelly Show that the U.K. travel ban goes to a troubling extreme. “He has had a couple chances, but he is asking for another chance. And I think most people… in sort of the left-wing culture are saying no,” she noted. “The U.K. is literally telling him no. He can’t even come into the United Kingdom, which is crazy, because of his controversial views for which he has apologized. It is not like he killed anybody.”
When you consider the recent record sales and success of his L.A. performances, Megyn wondered if there is disconnect between those trying to ‘cancel’ West and those who actually have the ability to do so. “What do you make of this dynamic now where he is still officially canceled, but the people are the ones who ultimately decide whether you’re canceled or not,” she asked guest Damilare Sonoiki.
Sonoiki believes the same cultural shift that got Donald Trump elected in 2024 is what is keeping West from being completely canceled in 2026. “I think one of the biggest things that caused that shift, especially amongst young men, is that culture on the left of just trying to destroy people totally,” he said. “Antisemitism is awful. My close friends are Jewish. A lot of my favorite artists are Jewish. But I think that this idea on the left is to just punish totally, to just destroy someone.”
He said there has been a rejection of “cancel culture” because “these people who are trying to cancel someone” have taken it to such an extreme. “They want you to never be able to work again,” he said. “I think that it just shows that this idea that we were sold during the peak… ‘cancel culture’ that it’s just about, you know, accountability and apologizing and growing… No, they want to see you destroyed.”
That is why Sonoiki actually respects West’s efforts to salvage his career. “He has lost billions. He lost his marriage. He has lost his business partnerships,” he concluded. “I think kudos to Kanye and kudos to people who keep going and who persevere through this because I think that you cannot let them win.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Sonoiki by tuning in to episode 1,291 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.