Kanye West has dropped out of his headlining gig at Coachella. This news comes just one day after he was previously scheduled to perform at the 2022 Grammy Awards prior to being banned last month due to “concerning online behavior.”
According to TMZ, who was first to break the news, Ye had planned to have Travis Scott — who was removed from the 2022 lineup following the tragedy at Astroworld — join him on stage, so that performance is likewise off the table as well. West had been scheduled to headline on the closing night of both weekends of the festival on April 17 and 24, leaving organizers to now scramble for an 11th-hour replacement.
West has not yet provided a reason for dropping out. However, Variety reports that the rapper had not rehearsed or prepared for the appearance, and given that Coachella is the biggest music festival in North America, it “by necessity runs a very tight operation.”
In either case, and given the circumstances, Ye dropping out is not wholly surprising. The 44-year-old has been noticeably quiet since his 24-hour Instagram suspension last month following weeks and months of harassing his estranged wife Kim Kardashian and her new boyfriend Pete Davidson.
Fans and critics alike have expressed concerns over West’s shocking behavior, and it stands to reason that he wouldn’t be in the best headspace to rehearse, much less perform at the festival, which he last headlined back in 2011.