by Gabi Admi ‘23

Kayne West is a famous rapper, producer and fashion designer who was also the husband to the equally famous reality tv star Kim Kardashian. West and Kardashian split in February of 2021 following West’s failed 2020 campaign for president and increasing signs of his struggle with bipolar disorder. Kardashian has spoken very little publicly about their breakup. In a Vogue Entertainment interview, Kardashian explained, “For so long, I did what made other people happy … And I think in the last two years I decided, I’m going to make myself happy. And that feels really good. And even if that created changes and caused my divorce.” This ‘happy’ divorce, however, has led to conflict between the two.

In February 2022, West uploaded concerning posts on Instagram regarding Kardashian and their children. He posted: “Since this is my first divorce I need to know what I should do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?” Kardashian responded with a Notes App message to West’s post: “Kanye’s constant attacks on me in interviews and on social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create,” describing herself as “the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children … Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye’s obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all.” After Kardashian’s comment, West thundered back with accusations and insults against Kardashian, attacking both her current boyfriend, Pete Davidson, and her. 

The ugly back-and-forth between Kardashian and West, along with his erratic behavior, raises questions about the nature of Celebrity and whether it is appropriate for millions to follow the private lives of famous people, particularly when in this case, one of them appears to be mentally ill. Is it right to gawk at people through social media when they are in crisis–even if they are very famous and even if they often put their lives out there for anyone to see? Maybe, we all should look away. 

Some celebrity watchers argue that they have every right to comment on the conflict between West and Kardashian because they choose to put their lives in the public eye. However, in many other instances, celebrities have been hounded and harassed by those invading their privacy. For example, pop artist Britney Spears in 2007 was going through a public breakup with Kevin Federline and a custody battle over her children. One night, Spears went to meet the father of her children when the paparazzi started harassing her. One thing led to the next and Spears started hitting the paparazzi’s car with an umbrella. As a result of this, Spears’s career went up in flames after several news websites reported her breakdown and labeled her as ‘crazy.’

In a strange twist, journalistic reporting about Spears ended up helping her last year. Spears entered a conservatorship (an agreement or order under which one person or entity controls the personal and financial affairs of another, such as a minor or someone who is considered legally incapable of managing their own affairs) with her father Jamie Spears in 2008. However, after The New York Times and FX released the documentary “Framing Britney Spears” in February of 2021, the #FreeBritney movement gained traction and support for Spears to be freed of the conservatorship, leading to it being lifted last November. However, it took years for Spears to recover from the damage of her personal life being in the public eye. It still remains unclear how much lasting damage West will experience, but on March 17, he was suspended from Instagram due to his unstable behavior of dissing celebrities. Perhaps audiences should step back when laughing at celebrities and ask themselves, is this my business?