Did Jay Leno 'Exploit' Kanye's Dead Mom?

By Jo Piazza Posted Sep 15th 2009 09:06PM

Watching Kanye West on Jay Leno last night felt a little bit creepy, like when you accidentally turn on a dirty movie with your parents in the room. Kanye's four-minute interview was uncomfortable for so many squirm-worthy reasons that we here at PopEater wanted to take a minute to dissect exactly what made us feel like Kanye and Jay got one over on us. After the jump, experts break down the Kanye-Jay interview, with one saying Leno took a "cheap shot" by invoking West's late mother while another says it gave Kanye "the perfect way to look sympathetic."

>> At the start of the interview, Kanye sat down opposite Jay and took off his signature sunglasses. Kanye never removes his glasses. We always thought they were surgically attached to his face, so just looking Kanye in his chocolate brown eyes was a bit jarring. "He was trying to be humble and human but we all know it's just hype," explained style expert Mary Alice Stephenson. Moments after he may or may not have gotten teary about his mom, Kanye seemed just fine performing 'We Gonna Run This Town' with Rihanna and Jay-Z.

>> Jay got all Oprah by asking Kanye what his late mother, Dr. Donda West who passed away in 2007, would have thought about the outburst. "Would she be disappointed in this? Would she give you a lecture?" Jay asked with a brotherly knee tap. "Jay asking about Kanye's mom was a VERY cheap shot -- and Kanye's reaction made it clear that he thought so too. But since he was in apology mode he had to take a second and not say what he was really thinking which was probably 'how dare you exploit my mother's death,'" Cooper Lawrence, radio host and the author of 'The Cult of Celebrity,' told PopEater. 'It made Kanye appear more sympathetic and Jay less so. You saw the hurt little boy who lost his mommy."

>> But we have to wonder whether or not Kanye's camp told Jay to broach the subject of mama to give Kanye a set-up for his excuse. "Kanye did seem sufficiently rattled by the question so that it didn't look like a plant. But I'm really cynical when it comes to this celebrity stuff, so as much as I'd like to believe that it wasn't a plant, it probably was," Gawker.com's Brian Moylan told PopEater. "Jay's mom bait gave Kanye the perfect way to look sympathetic, and lead right into 'I'm still sad cause my mom died' defense."

>> For some reason, celebrity apologies these days always include "taking a break" or "going to rehab" in their apologies. In 2007 'Grey's Anatomy' star Isaiah Washington checked into a treatment center for psychological evaluation following his anti-gay slur against co-star T.R. Knight. And in 2006 Mel Gibson went to rehab after blaming an anti-Semitic rant on alcohol. If only we regular people could take a little break every time we flip off the guy who cuts us off on the highway or tell our best friend her hair looks like crap.

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Kanye Says the Darndest Things

"It hurts me to see the old and very wrong version of the 'Paranoid' video get leaked all over the net... It's just frustrating when this stuff happens because I really care about the product." -- on an Internet leak of his new video starring Rihanna.

Shareif Ziyadat, FilmMagic

Kanye Mr. Humble' West

Shareif Ziyadat, FilmMagic

"Can't we give Chris a break? ... I know I make mistakes in life." -- on Chris Brown's alleged assault on Rihanna, and the media coverage surrounding it

Getty Images

"Please i beg you, give me a break!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let me be great!!! Who have i hurt so bad that they want to destroy me? Who have i ever spoke about so negatively? I just was speaking with our new president two days ago... And now this." -- disputing a false quote alleging he'd do bisexual porn

Getty Images

"I believe I am the greatest entertainer of this generation. I go neck-and-neck on Jay-Z and [Lil] Wayne as far as who's the best lyricist," Kanye West said in VIBE magazine's February issue.

Lester Cohen, Wire Image

"I am protecting my personal space since there are no laws to protect that for me," West said. "The fact that [a photographer] could get me arrested off a mere complaint, but I can't ask him to stop taking pictures of me is very lopsided." -- defending his recent scuffle with the paparazzi

Gustavo Caballero, Getty Images

"There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin [Timberlake] went on vacation I made albums, and it just came out to be that." -- on Timberlake's supposed failure to become music's top dog due to a lack of new albums.

Getty Images (2)

"I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice." -- quote from a Nov. 12 interview.

Mike Marsland, Getty Images

"It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan." -- quote from a Nov. 12 interview.

Noel Vasquez, Getty Images

"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained. My misery is your pleasure."-- quote from a 2006 Rolling Stone interview

Amy Sussman, Getty Images

"We were obviously dealing with f------ idiots who didn't really have the capacity to really put on this show properly. They tried 2 give me a time slot were it was still light outside. I have a f------ light show dumb a---, it's not called glow in the dark for no reason squid brains." -- blaming the organizers for Bonnaroo problems.

Jeff Kravitz, FilmMagic.com

Tags: jay leno, JayLeno, kanye west, KanyeWest, taylor swift, TaylorSwift, vmas

Comments

(884)

Wednesday 16 September

By A.C.

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How are you bring race into this!!!??? My God, how mean and nasty can you bloggers be? Whatever happened to forgive and forget, and why the HELL are any of you surprised? Kanye West is a rapper and rappers like to act like bullies, regardless of race (look at Eminem!). Kanye stayed true to form. Beyonce showed a lot of class b doing what se did, but really a lot of what she does is nothing more than a lot of booty-shaking. As for Taylor Swift: I've heard some of her music. It's okay, but I don't really see anything all that different from most other artists. These award shows are full of nothing more than no-talent people don't have that much talent, if they have any at all! Let's face it: the days of good music are LONG GONE!

By VerbalKent

I don't think it was a cheap shot at all. I believe our parents are sometimes our moral compass and help regulate our behavior. If his mother was alive, he probably wouldn't have ruined Ms. Swift's moment. Winning a major award at the top echelon of any industry is an amazing feat and no one should be deprived of the joy that accompanies that moment.

I would like for plenty of interruptions if Kanye ever wins any awards again. He's a relatively young man with an ego the size of Texas and he's still grieving over the loss of his mother. I'm sure those around him aren't properly trained to help him deal with his grief. They'd just like him to continue cutting the checks.

Jay had every right to ask that question-I believe it is exactly the reason Kanye is repetitively misbehaving.

By mivogo

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Kanye's not used to being challenged on his bullying, crappy behavior. If they were off the air, Kanye probably would have punched Jay (and gotten his head kicked in).
Pres Obama got it exactly right--the guy's a jackass.

By Alice

Most people including myself have never heard of this Kayne character. The Jay Leno show is forced to show a percentage of Afro Americans on the show but why do they have to show people nobody knows? I attended an auto show a few years ago with my husband who owns an old refurbished vehicle. Jay Leno was there and looked at our car and talked briefly. He is a good man and it is a shame he has to give in to certain people who gets on his show.

By LEB

How racist is Kayne?? the black girl should have won, (cuz she black and we now have a black president). What an idiot that guy is!! Leno just gave him more publicity but hopefully people know what a jerk he is now. Who cares what his mother would think!! what is he, 5 years old?

By sammykross

kanye had it coming after what he did to taylor swift,and ruin her night does he make those decisions?no they have peopole who do that,so he should mind his own business,and stop ruining everybody elses,i believe jay had every right to ask those questions and further more TAYLOR SWIFT MORE THAN DESERVED THAT AWARD she earned it.

By Sandra

It wasn't exactly a plant, but when producers talked with Kanye he said that he had been in bad shape since his mothers death and blamed his behavior on his drinking and grief. Jay was briefed and questioned him based on that.

By melih114

I think Kanye was honestly surprised by Leno's question, and I think Leno did exactly the right thing. He can't give an actual opinion about Kanye's disgusting stunt, but Leno humiliated him on air non the less bringing up his mother. Good for Kanye !!!!!

By bigswingingnick

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you people are out of your minds!
how is Leno asking a question out of line???
there's nothing wrong with it.. he's on a talk show after he just embarrassed himself and a young girl.
F-him.
he's a baby..

By Jenny

How does a moron like this have fans? What an insolent, disrespectful, deluded and generally repulsive example of a grown man with the ego and intellectual development of a two-year. Cheap shot? Not even close ... here's one for you ... who wipes his butt now that he doesn't have Mommy around? Nobody, I guessing, 'cause he stinks!

By Stilcrazee

It's about time someone makes West think about his actions. Who does he think he is anyway? Funny that those who think it was a cheap shot missed the reply that West made when he eluded to the idea that he hadn't properly grieved for his mother and that may have been the cause of his out of line actions and comments.
Ban his attendence to these events for a few years and see if he doesn't shape up.

By Dacarroll

He's an idiot, and anyone that thinks Jay didn't exploit him and his mother for ratings, or that Beyonce' didn't exploit the opportunity to appear all humble and sincere (she hardly looked 'mortified' in the audience, as she looked suprized and happy), needs to wake up and realize they are all publicity whores.

By Kate

What would be fitting is if next year, Kanye wasn't allowed to attend the awards show. He should be kicked out for disrupting the show, disrespecting Swift, and for his egotistical, self centered, racist actions. Why don't we all petition for Kanye to sit next year's event out at home?

By blah

Kanye West along with most "performers" today are a big joke. None of them can actually sing, and no one seems to know why they are famous. Jay was not out of line, but it probably was a planted question by Kanye. Isn't that what celebrities do, they do something stupid then they go on a talk show and talk about how sorry they are then cry about it and say they are giving money to a charity and then its all done with. What Kanye did was so tasteless, his fake apologies don't mean crap.

By mimi

Leno wasn't wrong. We refer to what our mothers, grandparents, aunts, etc. frequently. What would they do if they were with us - how they would react to the situation and what punishment would be handed out to us. It's normal and not "wrong" in any way shape or form. But what Kanye did WAS wrong. He wouldn't have done it had it been a black performer. Call it a racsist comment if you need to but the truth is the truth. Accept it.

By viweiner

Arrogance is part & parcel of these entertainers
who have a short term fame and Kayne West is one
of them. He should wear a stud in his brain rather
than his ear for insulting another performer.
Jay Leno is a nice guy, but he will never be a great
wit like Paar and Carson. He is still likeable to
watch, but NBC can surely get someone better than
O'Brien, who has no talent at all to replaced the
late show slot. Ron Stewart is close but he's
a maverick, yet he'd be great as a late night host.

By mmmcorona4you

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Was Kanye wrong for doing what he did yes, It was rude but i think he relizes it, but i think Jay Leno hit below the belt with his remark to Kanye and furthermore who really cares it is done and over with. I'm sure by the end of the day there will be more news worth listening to and commenting about.

By charles

kanye looked like a fool...and his career is already on its way to the toilet...i blame the vma ataff for not having control over who was able to approach an award recipient. Makes it sound staged.....no security?

By Carol Winter

I don't normally comment on these things but i just can't resist this time. Mr. West was rude and uncouth. But I also noticied him complaining about working hard and not taking time off, making excuses for such poor behavior. Although I don't care for the music, he was given a gift - and what does he do with it? Arrive at the show loaded, with a bottle in his hand, looking like a thug and acting worse. He should be ashamed for more than what he did to Ms. Swift.

By JEFF

DON'T REALLY CARE IF IT OFFENDS KANYE! NEVER LIKED HIM ANY WAY. BUT AFTER THAT TASTELESS ACT HE PULLED, WHO CARES IF HE'S OFFENDED! IF I WAS LENO, I WOULD OF CANCELLED HIS APPEARANCE!!

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