Kanye West had an explosive interaction with a member of the paparazzi this week after he was asked whether his wife Bianca Censori has “free will.”
The incident occurred in Los Angeles on Monday (January 29) as Ye was en route to Charlie Wilson’s Walk of Fame ceremony. Video captured shows a TMZ photographer ask: “People want to know if Bianca has her free will? People are saying you are controlling her,” which did not go over well.
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In response, Kanye grabbed the woman’s phone and replied: “I don’t give a fuck. Don’t come ask me some dumb-ass shit. I’m a person, bro! Don’t come ask me that dumb-ass shit. You got kids? Exactly. So what do you do? Who do you work for? Why do you feel like it’s okay?”
He continued: “I’m a human being. TMZ, y’all set celebrities up. All this bullshit. I don’t care what y’all gonna do, what y’all got to say. Don’t come at me with that shit. Walk up on me like that. What you think ’cause you a White woman you can walk up on me like that?”
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Initially Ye refused to give her phone back and even taunted her, but eventually he returned it.
You can view the videos of the incident from the woman’s point of view below:
Concern over the nature of Kanye West and Bianca Censori’s relationship heightened earlier this month after a series of snaps posted to Ye’s Instagram showed her in various states of undress – from wearing what looks like a black garbage bag to wearing nearly nothing at all.
Fans couldn’t help but wonder about the true dynamic of their relationship, with many taking to the comments to express their concern and displeasure. “Why do you exploit this poor woman? Shame on you. You need therapy sir,” wrote one commenter, while another cited West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, as an example of how hypocritical he really is.
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“I remember the episode where he was telling Kim he didn’t want her to expose herself so much. FFWD to this. Poor girl being degraded on the daily. I hope she believes in herself to realize she is much more than this,” the commenter wrote.
As for Ye snatching the woman’s phone, this isn’t the first time he’s done so with a paparazzi. In 2023, Kanye West was in a similar incident after he believed a female paparazzi followed him as he left his daughter North’s basketball game — though it was not confirmed that she was a hired camerawoman.
Kanye was caught on camera by another bystander approaching the woman’s car where he confronted her. “You didn’t have to run up on me like that,” said Ye as the woman filmed from inside her vehicle.
“I wasn’t running. I wasn’t running — but Kanye you’re a celebrity,” the woman responded. To which Kanye doubled down: “If I say stop, stop with your cameras!”
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As the two continued to argue, a passenger in the car recorded Kanye reaching into the woman’s vehicle and snatching her phone before throwing it into the street. Law enforcement from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department reportedly arrived on the scene around 4:30 PM, where they were provided with the video clip as evidence.
