For reasons not publicized at this time, Kanye West, also known as the rapper Ye, will no longer be performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, according to a TMZ announcement earlier this week.
Ye’s departure from the festival means that a spot is now open for another headliner with only Billie Ellish and Harry Styles remaining, NBC Palm Springs reports. Ye was on the schedule for April 17 and 24.
According to the NBC article, Ye had invited rapper Travis Scott to appear as a guest, in the first large-scale performance for Scott since the 2021 Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, where 10 people died in a crowd crush. Scott has confirmed that he also will not be appearing because of Ye’s withdrawal.
Although the TMZ announcement did not explain Ye’s decision to leave the festival, there were tensions between Ye and another Coachella headliner, Ellish. NBC reported that Ye had threatened to withdraw from the festival earlier this year unless Ellish publicly apologized to Scott. The source of contention was a report that a fan fainted at one of Eilish’s concerts, prompting the performer to stop the show, which West apparently took as a reference to Scott’s Astroworld. However, Eilish never referenced Scott or the festival, according to NBC.
Without comment on the departure from Coachella officials, the reason for Ye’s withdrawal remains uncertain.
