Kanye West has backed out of a scheduled performance on NBC's Today show after getting upset with how his interview with host Matt Lauer last week was handled.
West's record company confirmed the cancellation to Today on Friday after the rapper said on his Twitter account that he wouldn't perform on the morning TV talk show. He was scheduled to appear on November 26, part of a promotion drive for his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which is being released on November 22.
During the interview, which was taped on Tuesday and aired on Thursday, West appeared thrown when Today aired a video clip of an embarrassing moment — when he grabbed a microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and said Beyoncé should have won the award for best female video instead of Swift.
West tweeted this week that he felt "set up" by the interview and that Lauer tried to force his answers. His cancellation notice was accompanied by mixed messages.
"Much love to Matt and the whole Today show," he said in a Twitter message. "I accept ya'll future apology in advance LOL!"
In the interview, West talked about former President George W. Bush's angry response to West saying on a fund-raising telethon after Hurricane Katrina that Bush "doesn't care about black people." Today played a clip of Bush speaking about it in his recent interview with Lauer. In seeking a reaction, Lauer noted that it was the most emotional Bush had become during three and a half hours of talking with him. "Don't even listen," Lauer said. "I want you to look at his face."
That appeared to upset West, who looked away.
"I don't need you guys to show me the tape in order to prompt my emotion about what I'm going to say," he said.
West became angry when the Swift video was shown. Lauer explained that it was common to show video of an event when it is referenced in an interview, but West complained that he could hear it and wondered how he was supposed to talk over it. Lauer ordered the sound of the tape be turned off.
"Please don't let that happen again," West said. "It's like ridiculous."
