Teyana Taylor Affirms Loyalty to Ye Despite Recent Controversies
Teyana Taylor has made it clear that her bond with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, remains unshakable, regardless of the rapper’s tumultuous and polarizing behavior in recent years.
In a newly released Vanity Fair cover story published Tuesday (Jan. 13), the singer and actress discussed the state of her friendship with Ye, a decade after her career-defining performance in his “Fade” music video. For Taylor, the hip-hop mogul is essentially family, and she refuses to let his history of antisemitic rhetoric sever their personal connection.
“I don’t have to agree with everything that he does or says, but I’m not going to just abandon him,” Taylor told the publication. She emphasized her commitment to loyalty, adding, “My brothers do things that I don’t agree with… I don’t get into any of that.”
The history between the two artists runs deep. Beyond her iconic visual role in “Fade,” Taylor contributed to Ye’s 2010 masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, appearing on “Dark Fantasy”—which stands as her only entry on the Billboard Hot 100. However, Ye’s legacy took a significant hit in October 2022 when he made a series of antisemitic threats on social media and debuted “White Lives Matter” apparel at Paris Fashion Week.
While those actions led to a massive exodus of corporate partners—including Adidas, Balenciaga, and Universal Music Group—Ye spent the following two years alternating between further inflammatory remarks and sporadic attempts at reconciliation. By May 2025, he claimed to be finished with his previous rhetoric, followed by a formal public apology to the Jewish community in November.
Taylor’s defense of her mentor comes during her own professional zenith. The year 2025 proved to be a breakout era for her, fueled by the success of her album Escape Room and a powerhouse performance in the film One Battle After Another. These projects earned Taylor her first Grammy nomination and her first Golden Globe win, respectively.
During her emotional acceptance speech at the Beverly Hilton on January 11, Taylor addressed young women of color directly. “To my Brown sisters and little Brown girls watching tonight: Our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much,” she said through tears. “Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into.”
