While Kanye West’s meeting with president-elect Donald Trump has elicited no small number of celebrity reactions, one in particular holds a significant amount of weight — that of his frequent musical collaborator, John Legend.
During an interview with Clique in France, Legend was candid with his thoughts about Kanye’s meeting with Trump, going so far as to call it a “publicity stunt.”
“I don’t think it’s impossible to talk to [Donald Trump] about issues, but I won’t be used as a publicity stunt,” Legend said. “I think Kanye was a publicity stunt. I’m pretty disappointed with Kanye that he says he would have voted for Trump. I think Trump has been corrosive, his message has been corrosive to the country. I think the things he’s promised to do have been very concerning for a lot of people, and for Kanye to support that message is very disappointing.”
Legend, who belongs to West’s G.O.O.D. Music label, did not hold back on his criticism of the president-elect.
Watch the interview below.
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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com