John Legend Shares Where He Stands With Friend Kanye West Amid His Support Of Donald Trump

John Legend recently gave some insight as to why he’s no longer as close as he used to be to Kanye West.

The “You and I” singer recently chatted with The Sunday Times about his former friend, per the Daily Mail. Legend and West were friends early in their careers and were known for their stellar collaborations. They worked on a total of eight songs together, including “Home” and “Number One.” West also gave Legend his first record deal when he signed him to G.O.O.D Music in 2004. However, the friends’ relationship has changed through the years. West and Legend are on opposite sides in terms of their politics, as West has often shared his support for President Donald Trump.

Although Legend has vehemently shared his distaste for the president and the Republican party, he admitted that their different political views didn’t affect his relationship with West. Prior to West’s political remarks, Legend shared that they never actually had the tight bond that their fans perceived.

“I don’t think we’re less friends because of the Trump thing. I just think we’re doing our own thing,” Legend said of the friendship. “He’s up in Wyoming. I’m here in LA. We’ve both got growing families and I no longer have a formal business relationship with him as an artist, so I think it’s just part of the natural cycle of life. But what I’ve always said is, we never talked about politics before.”

The father of two also added that the majority of his conversations with West were creative. They would often talk about their music careers and how they could both improve. Once West decided to make a shift in his career, however, their music conversations ended as well. The R&B crooner shared they went in different directions musically when West started working on gospel music last year. In addition to hosting Sunday Service at his home and at multiple venues, the rapper also put out two gospel albums — Jesus Is King and Jesus Is Born.

Although they’re not as close as they used to be, Legend has always credited West for the impact he made on his career. Back in 2018, he spoke at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York about how the pair first met in the early 2000s, per The Insider. He said his college roommate, Devon Harris, informed the hopeful star that his cousin, West, was working at Roc-A-Fella records with Jay-Z at the time. Harris encouraged Legend to meet with West, and the young artists formed an instant bond.