Kanye West has reportedly pulled out of Coachella one week before the festival is set to kick off.
The news was reported on Monday by TMZ and Variety.
West was scheduled to close out both weekends of Coachella on Sunday night.
Coachella has yet to formally announce West’s departure, nor is it clear who will be replacing him on the lineup. Consequence has reached out to the festival’s representatives for more information.
Update – April 6th: The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia will replace West as Sunday’s headliner.
Back in February, West threatened to boycott Coachella in response to a perceived slight made by co-headliner Billie Eilish against Travis Scott. West specifically took issue with Eilish pausing a concert in Atlanta retrieve an inhaler for an audience member in need. “We’re taking care of our people, hold on,” Eilish told the crowd. While Eilish made no mention of Scott by name, some fans and media outlets were quick to compare her response to how Scott reacted to the tragedy at Astroworld — which left 10 people dead.
West, who planned to bring out Scott during his Coachella set, demanded that Eilish apologize. Eilish eventually responded to West in the comments of an Instagram post, writing: “Literally never said a thing about Travis. Was just helping a fan.”
In recent weeks, the Donda rapper has also found himself embroiled in controversy for a series of social media posts directed at his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and her new boyfriend, Pete Davidson. Instagram temporarily suspended West’s account for violating its policy on hate speech, harassment and bullying, while the Grammys barred him from performing, citing “concerning online behavior.”
