Covid-19 shut down the entertainment industry.
There have been no glitzy red carpet events, blockbuster film premieres or star-studded award ceremonies, but that hasn’t stopped us from getting a daily dose of celebrity news. Except increasingly, it’s of the unsavoury kind.
First we had the Jada Pinkett Smith “Entanglement” confession to husband Will, then the inescapable headlines generated by Johnny Depp’s libel trial, shedding light on a very high-profile Hollywood marriage.
Then came Kanye West, whose behaviour since he announced plans to run for the presidency of the United States is increasingly worrying. He broke down in tears at a South Carolina rally when he spoke about everything from abortion to slavery.
And he’s fired off tweets about the state of his marriage to Kim Kardashian.
This prompted Kim to speak publicly yesterday about her husband’s struggles with bipolar disorder, admitting she and her family felt “powerless” to do anything to help him.
It felt eerily like the time a troubled Britney Spears shaved her hair off in front of the paparazzi during a very public breakdown – she was later put in an involuntary psychiatric facility. We witnessed it with Amy Winehouse – “they tried to make me go to rehab but I said, no, no no”.
The reality is, there isn’t really much families can do to help if a person doesn’t want that help.
I met Kanye several times when I was a 3am columnist for this paper. I remember interviewing him in Las Vegas. He was overexcited about the fact he had spent, I think he said $10,000, on a pair of Gucci shoes – he was adamant about leaving the price tag on so people would know how much he’d spent.
Years later the need for attention and public validation seems to persist.
I also met his lovely mother Donda a few times. She was pin-sharp. She wanted to invest in property in London. Whenever she was around he always seemed to behave.
She tragically died in 2007. And many people say he’s never been the same. But if she were alive today, like Kim, it’s highly likely she too may have been powerless to help her son.
People also say marrying into the world’s most high-profile reality TV family was a mistake, too.
Kanye claimed he wanted a divorce – Kim, the most public woman in the world, has asked for privacy.
Regardless of what’s going on in their home, Kanye’s tears in South Carolina revealed a man in pain. This is a real cry for help. He needs the support of his loved ones. But what happens when your nearest and dearest live in a world where the cameras can’t be switched off?
Will Kim have to choose between her lucrative TV career and her husband’s sanity?
Her statement talks about Kanye’s mental health, but nowhere does it mention the word love. It’s odd.
His late mother, whom his new album is named after, wouldn’t want this for him. I hope the memory of what she did want is enough to get him through. And in the meantime... someone please take away his phone.
