During an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this month, Kimmel asked guest Kanye West, ”George Bush doesn’t care about black people.’ It makes me wonder, what makes you think that Donald Trump does?”
Before ‘Ye could answer, Kimmel cut to a commercial. Now, the late-night talk show host has shed a little light on that decision.
“Well, I think Kanye is kind of in a perpetual state of being interviewed and he shares his thoughts constantly,” he told The Daily Beast in a recent interview. “So, the idea that he needed to come up with the answer right there on the spot isn’t necessarily something I agree with.
“I think he doesn’t feel the same type of pressure that most people feel in a situation like that. And I think it’s a question that I hope he will answer eventually. But to force an answer out of somebody isn’t necessarily the way to go.”
Kimmel also cited time as an issue. He was given an eight-minute segment but they were already at 10 minutes when he went to the commercial break. He then addressed why he didn’t pick up where they left off when the break was over.
“It wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision,” he said. “I felt that his silence answered the question in some ways. And I also know that if Kanye wanted to continue on a subject then he is not shy about continuing on that subject.
“I also had a lot of areas I wanted to cover. I didn’t want to spend the whole interview on one thing.”
Following Kanye’s appearance, the G.O.O.D. Music boss headed to Twitter to offer his own explanation.
“On Jimmy Kimmel we had a great time having a dialogue,” he wrote on August 11. “I’m reading that I was stumped by a question. Let me clarify the click bait. I wasn’t stumped. I wasn’t given a chance to answer the question.”
On Jimmy Kimmel we had a great time having a dialogue. I’m reading that I was stumped by a question. Let me clarify the click bait. I wasn’t stumped. I wasn’t given a chance to answer the question.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) 11 августа 2018 г.
‘Ye continued, “The question was so important I took time to think. And then I was hit with the let’s go to commercial break. That interview showed strong personalities with different opinions having a civil conversation.”
The question was so important I took time to think. And then I was hit with the let’s go to commercial break. That interview showed strong personalities with different opinions having a civil conversation.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) 11 августа 2018 г.
Trump praised Kanye for his “willingness to tell the truth” shortly after the Jimmy Kimmel Live! episode aired.
Kanye has yet to answer the question.
