Exclusive: Kanye West ‘Did Not Yell’ At ‘SNL’ Staff, Was ‘Completely Blindsided’ By Unexpected Set Changes

Kanye West’s reported “Saturday Night Live”
outburst may have been blown out of proportion.

An inside source told Access Hollywood on Wednesday that
audio recordings of the rapper reportedly captured from the “SNL” set were taken out of context.

Kanye was reported to have been shouting at the
“SNL” crew in the clip, but the insider said that he was actually
addressing his own team and not anyone involved with the show. 

Exclusive-Kanye-West-Did-Not-Yell-At-SNL-Staff-Was-Completely-Blindsided-By-Unexpected-Set-Changes
(Getty Images)

“He did not yell at ‘SNL’ staff,” the source
told Access, explaining that Kanye was reacting to unexpected changes
implemented shortly before he was scheduled to perform.

“This audio was secretly recorded while he was
venting his frustration in a private moment with his team,” the source
said. “He found out his stage design was changed and taken apart under the
direction of the show’s lighting director without anyone’s approval. He had
spent an entire day rehearsing and a lot of hard work into the performance.
Dramatic set changes were made 30 minutes before going live.” 

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According to the insider, Kanye acted within reason
considering the circumstances.

“It should be understandable why he was upset after
being completely blindsided,” the source said, adding that there were no
hard feelings between Kanye and the “SNL” staff as the night progressed.

“Later in the evening, after everything was fixed
and following his performance, Kanye was seen hugging Lorne Michaels just
before the goodnights,” the source said. “And he stayed afterwards to
chat with the staff and the cast, and thanked the producers on his way out the
door.”

“Saturday Night Live” did not respond for comment when contacted by Access Hollywood. 

— Erin Biglow

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