‘The View’ Hosts Debate Grammys Banning Kanye West From Performing: “Very Uncomfortable With This”

Ahead of the Grammy Awards, sources claim that nominee Kanye West has been barred from performing at the April 3 ceremony due to his recent online behavior (from making threats against ex-wife Kim Kardashian‘s boyfriend Pete Davidson to using racial slurs against Grammys host Trevor Noah). The controversial news led to a debate between the hosts of The View today, as they debated the merits of “consequence culture” vs. “cancel culture.”

Guest host Ana Navarro cited Noah’s tweet responding to the Grammys news, in which he wrote: “I said counsel Kanye, not cancel Kanye.”

“I totally sympathize with what Trevor Noah is saying… but who’s gonna get him to be counseled?” she said. “Too often, people who are rich, who are famous, surround themselves by an entourage who like the trappings so much that they’re incapable of confronting you with the truth.”

Navarro also questioned where the general public should draw the line when it comes to empathizing with West’s health and personal struggles, yet holding him accountable for the people he might harm in the process.

“Someone needs to get him to counseling, but ’til then, do we all need to put up with this?” she added.

Meanwhile, Sunny Hostin admitted that she was “very uncomfortable” with banning him from performance, citing how West (who has been open about living with bipolar disorder) could face stigma for his mental health.

“Performance is an art. It’s speech in many instances,” she said, noting that people who suffer from mental illness are statistically less likely to commit violence.

“I don’t know yet if he is this violent person that should be shunned from society, and his art taken away from him,” Hostin continued. “I’m very uncomfortable with this.”

However, Sara Haines questioned whether it was healthy for West to perform at the Grammys when “he’s proven himself more than capable of going rogue when getting awards” (see: the 2009 VMAs).

“He’s in a place that’s not great right now,” Haines said. “There are four kids who are being discussed on this social media platform, and if your own children can’t stop you from doing that… He’s having some impulse issues, which come hand-in-hand with some of these problems.”

Haines continued: “If he can’t help himself, you need to at least not put him in situations where even if there’s no physical threat, the very host of this awards show was threatened by him.”

Navarro interjected, noting that West’s fervent fanbase could also present an issue as this very public dispute continues.

“Kanye may not go and perpetrate an act of violence. But Kanye has got millions and millions of loyal fans who get ginned up by the things he’s been posting,” she argued. “Whether Kanye does something or not is one issue, but he’s got all these people who he influences. And once you give this guy the mic, he’s gonna do whatever he wants.”

The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.

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