You can't tell Kanye West nothing.
The 44-year-old rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, didn't hold back during a recent 44-minute interview with Hollywood Unlocked—the entirety of which was released on Jan. 24. Speaking candidly with host Jason Lee, Ye said that what he has been "going through" amid his ongoing divorce with Kim Kardashian "can't be captured in a headline."
He told Jason, "This is one of the reasons why I wanted to sit down and talk to you directly, and talk to the world about exactly what happened."
During the wide-ranging sit-down, Ye addressed some of the drama surrounding himself and his estranged wife—with whom he shares kids North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2—and made allegations that he was recently barred from entering the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's home, where he used to live, when dropping their kids off from school.
Read on to see what he had to say about the matter, as well as his opinions on co-parenting and family issues.
Ye claimed he was recently "stopped" at the gate of Kim's house by her security team when picking up their children for school. When he returned with the kids that same day, North wanted to show him something inside the house but was told that "daddy can't come inside."
"But that hadn't been defined," Ye said of the boundaries. "And I'm hearing that the new boyfriend is actually in the house that I can't even go to, and that's when I called my cousins."
Despite his claim, a source told E! News in January 2022 that Kim's boyfriend, Pete Davidson, "has never been to the house" nor met the SKIMS mogul's children with Ye. The insider added, "Kim has set boundaries. It's her house. Kanye can't just come over unannounced and that's what happened."
Kim made her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live in October 2021 amid her ongoing divorce with Ye. In one particular skit, she played Jasmin opposite of Pete's Aladdin character and the two shared a kiss.
During his Hollywood Unlocked interview, Ye—who was in New York City during Kim's appearance on the NBC comedy sketch show to show his support—made a reference to the onscreen lip-lock, saying, "How you gonna bring me to SNL and then kiss the dude you dating right in front of me?"
A source previously confirmed to E! News that Ye was in the audience for Kim's opening monologue on SNL, but left shortly afterward and was not in attendance at the show's afterparty.
Ye seemingly alluded to a second sex tape involving Kim and Ray J, who appeared in Kim Kardashian, Superstar in 2007.
The singer said he flew on a plane to get a laptop with alleged footage to give to Kim. "I went [and] got the laptop from Ray J myself that night, right?" he said. "I met this man at the airport. Then got on a red eye came back, delivered it to her at 8:00 a.m. in the morning and then I gave it to her and she cried when she saw it." Ye said the footage "represents how much people didn't love her and they just saw her as a commodity."
However, Kim's rep said a second sex tape doesn't exist. Her rep told E! News on Jan. 25, "After review, there was nothing sexual unseen, only footage on the plane on the way to Mexico and footage at a club and restaurant on the same trip."
Since Ye allegedly wasn't allowed to be in Kim's house, he told his cousins to relay two things to Keeping Up With the Kardashians star: "Tell her security are not finna come between me and my kids" and "don't have my daughter wearing lipstick on TikTok—or don't have her on TikTok at all—if I'm not there to approve that." Ye went on to say that "it was done without me knowing and it happened again, so I feel like it's poking the bear, trying to antagonize me and create this 'crazy' narrative."
The Grammy winner claimed that Big Sean and John Legend took the "easy" route by disassociating with him. (Big Sean announced in October 2021 that he was leaving Ye's G.O.O.D. Music label after 14 years for "business" reasons, while John has previously said that he and the rapper "were never the closest of friends.")
"This is my biggest issue about Big Sean and John Legend is because ... they just went too easy, you know what I'm saying?" he told Hollywood Unlocked host Jason Lee. "I changed both these people's lives and they're about that, 'Oh, don't pay attention. He's a rapper. He's this.' Like, yeah, I'm a rapper but obviously I'm a genius, too."
"No human being is immune to their surroundings. There's a lot of people around Kim that can influence her. You know, she's making certain decisions. She's just looking for safety and a safe place to be," Ye said when discussing her involvement in politics. He later added, "Women just want security and comfort."
He added that Kim would "ultimately like...her husband to play the role of what's happening in Hollywood already, but that's not the case."
When the interviewer asked Ye if "you feel like you were used," the DONDA performer replied, "Maybe so, but I'm sitting here in a Balenciaga jacket on right now, so it's OK."
"Women love Kim," Ye said. "Kim is just a poster child of somebody somebody: a mom, a lawyer. Can't nobody deny that everybody loves Kim."
As E! News previously reported, Ye purchased a property located right across the street from the Hidden Hills mansion he once shared with Kim. During his interview with Hollywood Unlocked, he explained of the move, "My solace comes from seeing my kids and getting a solid schedule."
"That's why I even got the house," he continued, adding that his decision was "flipped into there was something wrong with me getting a house next to my kids."
"Nothing with my career, with this rap, with this media, with none of that, that's gonna keep me from my children," he added. "And that's what I want everybody to know: Don't play with me, don't play with my children, ain't no security gonna get in between me and my children and you ain't finna gaslight me."
According to Ye, his top priority will always be his kids. "I'm gonna be so close, the kids are literally going to be in walking distance. I don't play when it comes to my children," he said. "This is for anybody going through a separation."
Although he and Kim "aren't together," Ye vowed, "I'm still going to be the best dad."
"They can go on SNL and make jokes. They can make jokes in the media. They can plant stories about whoever I'm dating," he continued. "They can block deals or do whatever that type of stuff, but I'm going to tell you straight up: Don't play with my kids."