Key Takeaways:
- John Legend used humor to respond to Kanye West’s “mashed potatoes” insult, then shifted to a serious critique of Ye’s behavior.
- He reflected on their creative history, expressing sadness over Ye’s political spiral and hateful rhetoric.
- Despite their fallout, Legend praised their early collaborations and remains proud of their shared legacy.
Trigger warning: Antisemitism, Hitler, Ku Klux Klan
John Legend is getting candid about the bizarre moment Kanye West claimed he smelled like mashed potatoes.
During an appearance on HOT 97’s “Ebro in the Morning,” the Grammy-winning singer responded to an interview Ye did with DJ Akademiks, where the rapper wore a Ku Klux Klan-inspired outfit and made offensive, rambling remarks. Among them was a strange jab at Legend, calling him a “sissy” and saying, “They said he smells like mashed potatoes.”
“He was very obsessed with the sweaters,” Legend said during the interview. “And he said I smelled like mashed potatoes. What kind of potatoes? Cheesy? Garlic?” he joked, perhaps missing the chance to plug wife Chrissy Teigen’s popular mashed potato recipes — a staple on her Cravings site and holiday spreads.
When asked by co-host Peter Rosenberg whether the insults offended him, Legend clarified, “Not for me, because obviously, I smell great.” Rosenberg confirmed with a laugh: “You smell fantastic.”
John Legend condemns Kanye West’s past remarks
The “All of Me” singer quickly pivoted to a more serious reflection. “It never affects me personally, but just the whole story is sad,” Legend said. “Seeing this guy praise Hitler, seeing this guy be this force of hate and vitriol and nastiness… It’s sad.”
Ye’s troubling behavior, including multiple antisemitic outbursts over the past few years, has resulted in severed partnerships and widespread condemnation. Earlier this year, Ye declared Hitler was “fresh” in a since-deleted post, continuing the rhetoric that led to highly publicized breakups with Adidas and other brands.
Legend — who signed to Ye’s G.O.O.D. Music label in the early 2000s and collaborated with him on songs like “Blame Game” and “Number One” — said he never saw this side of the artist. “I have friends that I talk about politics with all the time. He was never one of them,” he said. “He just never talked about it.”
Legend also recalled Ye’s 2005 outburst that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people,” noting that even then, he didn’t view the rapper as particularly political. “I never thought of him as a person that thought about who was president or any of these social and cultural issues. He just never talked about it in conversation,” he expressed.
John Legend reflects on Kanye collabs and G.O.O.D. Music era
Despite their fallout, Legend had nothing but praise for their early work together. “We really believed that we were starting a new movement in music, and being a part of that was inspiring. It was truly inspiring. That’s why it’s sad now because we did amazing things together,” he said. “Even though he’s gone completely left now, I’m so glad that we did what we did together.”
Legend is currently gearing up for the next leg of his "Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour,” which resumes in August. He’s also set to appear on Clipse’s highly anticipated reunion album Let God Sort Em Out, a project produced entirely by Pharrell Williams and featuring artists like Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, and Nas. Legend appears on the track “The Birds Don’t Sing,” which debuted during a Paris Louis Vuitton fashion show in 2024.