Yahoo News Kanye West justifies wearing 'White Lives Matter' shirt: 'Because they do'
Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, appeared Tuesday on Tucker Carlson Tonight. The hip-hop star and clothing designer opened up about why he wore a shirt emblazoned with “white lives matter” earlier in the week. He has since received significant backlash for wearing the garment, which he claims is not intrinsically offensive.
"I had someone call me last night and said anybody wearing a ‘white lives matter’ shirt is going to be green-lit, and that means they're going to beat them up if they wear it,” Ye shared. “OK, green-light me then.”
"So, the answer to why I wrote ‘white lives matter’ on a shirt is because they do,” Ye added. “It's the obvious thing."
“White lives matter” has been designated by the Anti-Defamation League as a white supremacist phrase, but Ye admitted he thought the shirt was amusing. He recalled joking with his father, Ray West, about it.
“I thought the shirt was a funny shirt,” Ye said. “I thought the idea of me wearing it was funny. And I said, 'Dad, why did you think it was funny?' He said, 'Just a Black man stating the obvious.'”
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) October 3, 2022
While Ye claimed he wore the shirt for altruistic reasons, he also sported it alongside far-right conservative pundit Candace Owens. Previously Ye, who supported controversial U.S. president Donald Trump, made waves for proudly wearing one the former president’s signature “Make America Great Hats.”
Tucker Carlson Tonight airs weeknights at 8 p.m. on Fox News Channel.
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