- O’Day says supporting an artist’s work doesn’t mean endorsing all their views or actions.
- She has been vocal about abuse but believes nuance is important, not black-and-white thinking.
- Kanye West was denied entry to the UK for his Wireless Festival performance due to antisemitism.
Aubrey O’Day insists she can “hold two truths at once” when it comes to the artists she supports.
The Danity Kane member was in attendance at not one, but two Ye–formerly known as Kanye West–concerts in Los Angeles this month. Though she was far from the only celebrity to receive backlash for her decision, her support for the rapper drew extra attention, thanks to her vocal disapproval of another controversial musician, Sean “Diddy” Combs.
One fan questioned O’Day’s decision to support the artist following his antisemitic rants and other controversial comments in recent years. Kanye also sold a replica of the hoodie Cassie Ventura wore in the video of Diddy punching and kicking her.
“Aubrey, I’m a little confused with the supporting of Kanye West. He’s done some really reprehensible things very recently, and you seem like a woman of [principle] when it comes to stuff like that,” read one Instagram comment.
Here, they seem to reference how outspoken O’Day has been against Diddy, who is currently serving a 50-month sentence after he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution following a high-profile federal trial in New York.
Another fan wrote, “Now why wouldn’t you share with Twitter that you went to see Kanye 2 nights in a row?? all that hootin and hollerin about Diddy’s abuse, but you fail to keep that same energy with Kanye. f***ing hypocrite.”
The latter is what O’Day chose to reply to in a tweet of her own, writing a lengthy statement about her choice, which she insists isn’t a contradiction.
“I can hold two truths at once,” Aubrey began. “I’ve been vocal about abuse because I’ve lived it, and I don’t excuse it, ever. That hasn’t changed. But I also don’t believe engaging with someone’s art means I co-sign every opinion or action they’ve ever had. If that were the rule, most of this industry-and honestly most of the world-would be off limits.”
She continued, “What I don’t support is harm, exploitation, or violence. And I’ve been consistent about that. You can disagree with where I draw my line, but calling it hypocrisy ignores the nuance. It’s not black and white—and pretending it is doesn’t actually protect anyone. If supporting art required endorsing every belief of the artist, none of us would have careers, or playlists. I’ve been clear about where I stand on abuse. That doesn’t change because I attended a show. Nuance isn’t hypocrisy, it’s reality.”
O’Day’s statement comes amid some serious repurcussions for Ye.
Though the controversial rapper was set to headline all three days of London’s Wireless Festival, the event was called off this week after Ye was blocked from entering the U.K.
“The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom,” a statement from the festival reads, per Variety. “As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled, and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders.”
The fest went on to say that “multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time.”
The statement continued, “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. As YE said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”
