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It’s been an intense year for Kanye West following his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
During his attempt to move on from his ex-wife, Ye has found love interests to keep him at bay but, in the end, his heart continues to yearn for the mother of his four children. The process of cooking up his latest album Donda 2 may have kept him busy. However, instead of fully immersing himself into his work as he’s done in the past, the seasoned rapper and genius producer found himself fueling a war of words with his ex-wife’s new flame, Pete Davidson.
Even before Davidson and Kardashian started dating last year, the tension between the Chicago rapper and the SNL actor was becoming more obvious by the day. As Kim and Pete’s relationship continued to grow, so did Ye’s short temper and it showed in every Instagram post the rapper made about his ex-wife’s new relationship.
Unfortunately, Ye’s posts have had a ripple effect in Hollywood. The feud eventually morphed into an all-out viral war that involved multiple celebrities. It got so bad Ye’s online behavior affected his chances of performing at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Kanye West and Pete Davidson’s problems may have blown up in recent months, but their rivalry dates back to at least 2018. In case you’re wondering how any of this even started in the first place, here’s a breakdown of Ye and “Skete’s” ongoing public feud.
Pete Davidson publicly mocks Ye on ‘SNL’ for the first time
Date: October, 6, 2018
After answering the call to replace Ariana Grande as a musical guest on SNL, Kanye West performed three songs while rocking a red Make America Great Again hat. Once he finished and the cameras went off-air, he went on a rant about his support for Donald Trump, previous jokes about him being in the “Sunken Place” and the people who told him not to wear the hat. A week later, Davidson appeared on SNL’s “Weekend Update” and said that Ye’s rant was “the worst, most awkward thing” he ever saw while on the show. “I wish I bullied you,” Davidson said regarding the hat. “I wish I would’ve suggested that it might upset some people like your wife or every Black person ever.” He also encouraged the rapper to go back on his medication for his mental illness. “There’s no shame in the medicine game,” Davidson said. “I’m on them, it’s great. Being mentally ill is not an excuse to act like a jackass.”
Ye and Pete Davidson have dinner together for Kid Cudi’s birthday
Date: January 31, 2019
A few months after his rant, Ye ran into Davidson while they were celebrating Kid Cudi’s birthday. The rapper’s then-wife Kim Kardashian snapped photos of him enjoying dinner with Davidson, Cudi and Timothée Chalamet. Ye didn’t appear to acknowledge Davidson’s SNL segment at that time. Davidson himself said he had a good time at the dinner. Even though the comedian ended up shelling out more than expected for the meal, Davidson said Ye and Kim were the “cutest couple ever” and “very nice people.”
Kim Kardashian files for divorce From Ye
Date: February 19, 2021
Kim Kardashian formally filed for divorce from Kanye just days after Valentine’s Day. At the time, sources close to the situation told TMZ that the split was “amicable” and that neither party contested their prenup. They also agreed to have joint custody of their kids North, Chicago, Saint and Psalm. The filing came after the couple spent the previous months of living separately.
Kim Kardashian kissed Pete Davidson on SNL
Date: October 9, 2021
Even though they were separated, Ye still showed his support for his ex-wife’s first time hosting SNL. During one sketch, Davidson and Kim kissed on the lips while portraying Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. A couple of weeks after their sketch, Kim and Pete were spotted holding hands at a theme park. Kanye opened up to Jason Lee of Hollywood Unlocked about how he felt being on set during the sketch. “This is for anybody that’s going through a separation," Ye said. "People intentionally do things to be mean and to hurt you and they be playing games, and culturally it’s OK. How are you gonna bring me to SNL and kiss the dude you dating right in front of me?”
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson officially start dating
Date: November 18, 2021
A month after Kim hosted SNL, Ye’s ex-wife and Davidson officially began dating. According to E! News, Kim brought him to meet her mother, Kris Jenner, in Palm Springs. Even though they had lived on different sides of the country at the time, they were willing to make it work.
Ye pleads for Kim Kardashian to come back at Larry Hoover Concert
Date: December 9, 2021
A few weeks after Kim and Pete started dating, Kanye West was still yearning for her to come back to him. During his Larry Hoover Benefit Concert with Drake, the Chicago native performed his song “Runaway” and infused a new lyric to include his ex-wife’s name. “I need you to run right back, baby, more specifically, Kimberly,” Ye sang onstage.
Ye mentions Pete Davidson in “Eazy” featuring The Game
Date: January 14, 2022
As the new year begins, Ye is a new space emotionally and musically. He had just begun his month-long fling with actress Julia Fox, and had already hinted that he had new music on the way. After videos of Ye in the studio with rappers like The Game surfaced online, clips of his new song “Eazy” leaked online. It was the first time Kanye had mentioned Davidson by name in a song. “God saved me from that crash/Just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass (who?),” Ye raps towards the end. Afterward, Ye would spend the next few weeks continuously trashing Davidson's name. He even went so far as to spread rumors that the 28-year-old had AIDS.
Ye threatens to pull up to SNL in “City of Gods”
Date: February 11, 2022
A month later, Kanye West fired more subliminal shots at Davidson. In “City of Gods” featuring Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys, Ye talks about sending goons to pull up on SNL. “Now it's time to give 'em hell/Ask my staff, I pay 'em well/This afternoon, a hundred goons pullin' up to SNL (what?), When I pull up, it's dead on arrival.”
Ye disses Kid Cudi for being friends with Pete Davidson
Date: February 12, 2022
In the midst of his war of words with Davidson, Ye dragged Kid Cudi into the mix all because he was friends with the actor. In an Instagram post, Ye said that Cudi wouldn’t appear on his Donda 2 album because “he’s friends with you know who.” The Jesus Is King rapper even shared the photo of them all at Cudi’s aforementioned birthday dinner with a red “x” over Davidson’s face. “I JUST WANTED MY FRIEND TO HAVE MY BACK THE KNIFE JUST GOES IN DEEPER,” Ye wrote in the caption. Cudi, who previously joined forces with Ye as Kids See Ghosts, responded by claiming he didn’t want to be on his album. “Too bad I don’t want to be on your album you f***in’ dinosaur hahaha everyone knows I’ve been the best thing about your albums since I met you,” Cudi told Ye.
Ye leaks texts with Pete Davidson on social media
Date: February 13, 2022
Ye took to Instagram and posted a text conversation he had with Davidson. The post included a screenshot of their exchange, and a photo of Davidson in his underwear next to Machine Gun Kelly. The text from Pete to Ye said,“ And you as a man. I’d never get in the way of your children. It’s a promise. How you guys go about raising your children is your business not mine. I do hope one I day I can meet them and we can all be friends.” In the caption, the rapper asserted that Davidson would never meet his children.
Ye gives Pete Davidson his new nickname ‘Skete'
Date: February 13, 2022
Kanye referred to Davidson’s now-infamous nickname ‘Skete’ for the first time in a slightly comical Instagram post. The rapper posted an image of the Marvel film Captain America: Civil War that was photoshopped to include the faces of Drake, Julia Fox, Travis Scott, and Future stood on Ye’s side while Kardashian, Cudi, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift were on Davidson’s side. “THE INTERNET HAS STILL NOT FOUND A DECENT PICTURE OF SKETE,” Kanye wrote in the caption.
Ye encourages fans to heckle Pete Davidson
Date: February 13, 2022
Despite all the drama he was going through with his family, Kanye West’s die-hard fan base continued to support him. In another Instagram post, Ye reposted fans’ positive comments and thanked everyone for the love. Towards the end of his caption, the rapper appears to encourage nearly 16 million of his loyal followers to scream “KimYe Forever” at the actor.
“THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF MY FAMILY,” Ye wrote in his caption. “MY FAMILY MEANS MORE TO ME THAN ANY OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENT IN LIFE IF ANYONE LOVES ME AND MY FAMILY IF YOU SEE SKETE IN REAL LIFE SCREAM AT THE LOOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER.”
Ye calls off his fans from hurting Pete Davidson
Date: February 14, 2022
At this point, Kim Kardashian was reaching her limits with the ensure situation. Shortly after the rapper encouraged millions of people to bother Davidson, Kardashian attempted to diffuse the situation by texting Ye. She made her ex-husband aware that he was creating a “dangerous and scary environment.” She also warned him that he would be responsible if Davidson was harmed by a fan. In response, Ye took a screenshot of her text and posted it to Instagram with an image of Ving Rhames and Tyrese in the 2001 film Baby Boy. Kanye also shared his text to Kim, in which he said he called off his fans.
Ye finally reacts to Pete Davidson’s 2018 SNL sketch in wild rant
Date: February 17, 2022
In a series of Instagram posts, Kanye West let Pete Davidson know exactly how he felt about that one “Weekend Update” sketch about him from 2018. One post features a photo of Davidson in a red, MAGA hat and mentions the actor’s mental health jokes. "This boy thought he could get away with performing this sketch for the team that wrote this for him," Ye wrote in a separate post. "This is not harassment This is payback." Ye continued on his rant by firing shots at SNL creator Lorne Micheals and media personality Perez Hilton.
Ye mentions Pete Davidson in “Security’ song
Date: February 22, 2022
During the live premiere of his Donda 2 album in Miami, Kanye West made a couple of fresh references to his ex-wife and her new boyfriend. In addition to “Eazy” and “City of Gods,” Ye also added songs like “Sci-Fi,” in which he samples Kardashian’s opening monologue from her SNL episode, and “Security.” The latter has Ye rapping about Davidson needing extra security around him. “Never take thе family picture off the fridge, Nеver stand between a man and his kids,” Ye raps on the song. “Y'all ain't got enough security for this, Y'all ain't got enough security for this/I put your security at risk, I make your security acquit/Like, ‘We don't get paid enough for this.’”
Ye takes credit for Pete Davidson leaving Instagram
Date: February 23, 2022
Just before the Donda 2 concert, Davidson had returned to Instagram following a four-year break. The day after Ye mentioned him in his new song, Davidson decided to leave Instagram again. Ye, who actually followed Davidson’s new account, immediately assumed responsibility for the SNL cast member’s early departure. “"Ran Skete off the gram,” Ye wrote in a screenshot of Davidson’s deactivated account. “Tell your mother I changed your name for life.”
Kim Kardashian is declared legally single
Date: March 2, 2022
One year after she filed for divorce, Kim Kardashian was officially declared legally single by a judge. KimYe formally ended following a hearing, in which Kardashian appeared remotely. Although no one contested their children’s current custody situation, Rolling Stone reported that Ye’s lawyer filed paperwork that suggests that the rapper may challenge their prenup and Kardashian’s claims that he was behind the social posts that caused her “emotional distress.”
Ye drops first graphic “Eazy” music video
Date: March 3, 2022
On the day after Kim Kardashian became a single woman in the eyes of the law, Kanye West dropped the first music video for “Eazy” featuring The Game. Midway through the video, we can see a claymation version of Ye kidnap Pete Davidson and ride off in a motorcycle with him in the back. Ye then drives out to a desert, drags Davidson through the sand and buries the actor in the ground. He later throws rose seeds at him, waters his head and cuts the fully grown roses from his scalp. Between those scenes, the Chicago rapper is seen dressed in all black while holding a severed head. At the end of the video, Ye closes out with a brief message: “Everyone lived happily ever after except Skete you know who. JK he’s fine.” Despite the closing message, Kim was reportedly "furious" about the video.
Ye writes “Divorce” poem to Kim Kardashian
Date: March 4, 2022
Between making all those derogatory Instagram posts and releasing the scathing “Eazy” video, Ye needed some time to process the end of his previous relationship. After having time to reflect, Kanye West posted a pair of poems dedicated to his ex-wife: “Divorce” and “Dead.” In the first poem, Ye doesn’t mention anyone by name but he does list all the ways divorce makes him feel. A few days later, Ye followed-up with “Dead,” which he raps about feeling dead.
More leaked texts show Pete Davidson finally snapping back at Ye
Date: March 13, 2022
For the better part of their conflict, Davidson rarely entertained Instagram posts, new songs or the two music videos that appear to threaten violence on his life. In fact, he thought the music videos that mention him were "hysterical." However, following another storm of inflammatory posts on Instagram, Davidson was finally over it. In text conversations that were leaked online, Davidson finally stood up to Ye and told him to calm down. ““I’ve decided I’m not gonna let you treat us this way anymore and I’m done being quiet,” Davidson told Ye. “Grow the f**k up.” Kanye provided more insight on the situation in a video.
Ye's Instagram account gets suspended for 24 hours
Date: March 16
Kanye West’s Instagram page had become a toxic hub of negativity towards nearly everyone except his family and fans. After making derogatory posts aimed at Davidson, SNL crew, comedian D.L. Hughley, and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, Meta, the company who owns Instagram, decided to suspend Ye’s account for 24 hours. Since the suspension, things calmed down significantly. Ye cleared his Instagram timeline of all the posts he made. He’s even reportedly more civil in the presence of Kim and his family. Meanwhile, Kim and Davidson’s relationship continued to flourish. Since becoming Instagram official, Davidson’s gotten a brand and a tattoo inspired by Kim.