Teyana Taylor gives rare comment on her friendship with Kanye West following rapper’s public controversies

Teyana Taylor revealed her friendship status with Kanye West in rare remarks after the rapper’s public controversies in recent years.

The 35-year-old star – who recently gave an emotional speech after her Golden Globe win over the past weekend – opened up about the topic during an interview with Vanity Fair published on Tuesday. 

Taylor has previously worked with West and appeared in his 2016 music video for the track Fade. She was also signed to his record label G.O.O.D Music until she left in 2020 after feeling ‘underappreciated.’ 

‘I don’t have to agree with everything that he do or say, but I’m not going to, like, abandon him and be like, “Yeah, eff that motherf*****,”‘ the singer told the outlet. 

The Heartless rapper garnered backlash after he made a series of antisemitic comments and political rants on social media. 

However, he has since renounced his past statements and said on X last year: ‘I am done with antisemitism. I love all people.’ 

Taylor further expressed to Vanity Fair, ‘My brothers do s*** that I don’t agree with… I don’t get into none of that.’ 

She went on to explain that she keeps it ‘real’ when it comes to her conversations with West – who also goes by Ye. 

‘If you want a real answer, you ask me. So if he asks me something, he knows he’s gonna get a real answer.’ 

However, the star emphasized that she keeps her focus on her own life and said, ‘I do my s*** behind the scenes and do what I need to do to help. I’m in my business and I drink my water.’

Taylor signed to the rapper’s G.O.O.D. record label back in 2012 and the pair worked on a number of collaborations such as the music video for We Got Love. 

The dancer had the chance to work on her own music and released three albums under West’s label including VII (2014), K.T.S.E (2018) and The Album (2020). 

But after the release of the latter, she took to Instagram to announce that she would be ‘retiring’ from the music industry. 

‘I ain’t gone front in times of feeling super under appreciated as a artist, receiving little to no real push from the “machine,” constantly getting the shorter end of the stick, being overlooked, I mean the list on and on lol,’ she penned to her followers. 

‘I’m retiring this chapter of my story with the comfort that i can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!’

She gave a special shout out to her fans and positively added ‘that when one door closes another will open’ when it came to her future. 

Taylor has since jumped back into the music industry and dropped her fourth album Escape Room last year – which raked in a Grammy nomination for Best R&B album. 

The star also is pursuing her passion for being on the screen – and has taken on a number of acting roles. 

She recently starred alongside West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian in the Hulu series All’s Fair. Despite being panned by critics, the Ryan Murphy show was renewed for a second season. 

Taylor additionally portrayed the character of Perfidia in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another. 

During the 2026 Golden Globes over the past weekend, the movie garnered four wins – including Taylor receiving the Best Supporting Actress honor. 

She gave a moving speech while accepting the award on stage and claimed that she ‘almost didn’t’ write a speech beforehand, thinking she would not win. 

‘To Paul “Let ‘Em Cook” Thomas Anderson, thank you for your vision, your trust and your brilliance. My gratitude is endless,’ she sweetly gushed to the director. 

‘I love you, we love you and thank you so much for holding space for me and our entire cast.’

She then referenced to her two children Iman ‘Junie’ Tayla Shumpert Jr., 10, and Rue Rose Shumpert, five. 

‘Y’all better be off those d**n phones and watching me right now,’ the actress humorously said. 

Taylor concluded her speech by giving a message to her ‘Brown sisters and little Brown girls watching tonight.’ 

The singer expressed, ‘Our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter and our dreams deserve space.’

Anderson additionally won Best Director and Best Screenplay during the night, while One Battle After Another also garnered the Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy honor. 

During her recent conversation with Vanity Fair, Taylor reflected on playing the role of Perfidia in the action comedy. 

‘I think one thing that everybody will be able to agree on is that she’s a bada**. And she’s unapologetically herself.’

The mom-of-two added, ‘And when you see this woman [who, after living a high-octane life of staging high-risk attacks targeting political figures and enterprises, is at home with her baby] even the things you don’t agree with, you’ll still empathize.’ 

Taylor’s performance has raked in additional recognition, including a Critics Choice Awards nod. 

She has also been nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at the upcoming Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards). 

The star glammed up for her latest Vanity Fair cover and could be seen wearing a one-shoulder, silver gown that clung to her figure. 

She also wore a crown on top of her head while holding a torch in her hand – channeling the Statue of Liberty. 

Another image showed Taylor wearing a shimmering gown that flowed down into sheer material. 

She posed for a picture while standing on an empty stage and was surrounded by scattered chairs and confetti on the ground. 

The actress additionally donned a black ball gown made of a tulle skirt that flowed down around her. Taylor could be seen sitting on the edge of a wooden platform with more confetti and streamers on the floor.