The acclaimed rapper addressed the uncomfortable moment on Twitter.
Kanye West is setting the record straight.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, fans and viewers watched as the rapper and fashion designer was seemingly baffled by a hard-hitting question from the late night host concerning West’s ardent support of President Donald Trump.
"You so famously said, 'George Bush doesn't care about black people,'" Kimmel recalled. "It makes me wonder, what makes you think Donald Trump does, or [cares about] any people at all?"
West got quiet for a moment following the question, as Kimmel and viewers waited for a response. Then, perhaps to rescue the rapper from the uncomfortable moment, the host decided to go to a commercial break.
On Saturday, West took to Twitter to explain his reaction to the challenging question and push back at critics who took his silence on the show as a sign of confusion.
“On Jimmy Kimmel we had a great time having a dialogue,” he wrote. “I’m reading that I was stumped by a question. Let me clarify the click bait. I wasn’t stumped. I wasn’t given a chance to answer the question.”
West went on to explain that he paused because he wanted to give the question a thoughtful answer.
“The question was so important I took time to think. And then I was hit with the let’s go to commercial break. That interview showed strong personalities with different opinions having a civil conversation,” he added. “I was so happy when I saw Jimmy walk out in the Yeezys. That was an olive branch. He lead [sic] with love. I appreciate Jimmy and his team. You guys are Jedi’s. Much love.”
Kimmel supported West's response with a retweet of his own, adding, "Not every question warrants an immediate answer. Some answers need to be considered and a talk show with time constraints is a difficult place to do that. I know how much Kanye cares and I am so impressed by what he is doing quietly and without fanfare to help those who need it."
Kimmel’s line of questioning was addressing West’s ongoing support of Trump, which has included tweeting out a photo of himself wearing a red Make America Great Again hat in April. The hip-hop mogul also addressed the backlash he’s faced for going public with his support for the polarizing president.
"It took me a year and a half to have the confidence to stand up and put on the [MAGA] hat, no matter what the consequences were," West said on Kimmel. "What it represented to me was not about policies, because I'm not a politician like that, but it represented overcoming fear, and doing what [I] felt, no matter what anyone said, and saying, 'You can't bully me. Liberals can't bully me, news can't bully me, the hip-hop community can't bully me."
Get more news on the interview in the clip below.
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