15 Reasons Why Ex-Employees Of Kanye Would Never Work For Him Again
Emma Martin Quick Links
At this point in his entertainment career it seems like rapper Kanye West is as much known for being an unpredictable, egotistical diva as he is known for being an actual artist. And that's not without good reason. Kanye certainly has his fair share of successful albums and business ventures under his belt, but he seems to be better at acting out and doing crazy or obnoxious things on a regular basis than he is at actually getting real work done. When you add in his world famous lack of a filter, it's easy to see why he's probably seen as the biggest male diva working in the entertainment industry today. And while his behavior might provide spectators with nearly endless entertainment, it is presumably much more difficult to deal with regularly.
When you take that into consideration, it's easy to see why some of Kanye West's former employees would be extremely reluctant to work for the superstar ever again. While Kanye might think very highly of himself, presumably the gift of being in Kanye West's orbit is not enough to make up for a lot of the ridiculous antics that his former employees have allegedly had to put up with during their tenure with him. But out of all of the reasons that Kanye could be a real life horrible boss, what are the worst reasons that might make his former subordinates never want to work with the diva-licious star again?
He Has Already Threatened An Ex-Employee With A Lawsuit
If you think that taking a job for someone like Kanye West might not be worth the money, then you might be right in a more literal sense than you ever imagined. Former NYPD police officer and West family bodyguard Steve Stanulis was fired by Kanye West after working for him for only a short time, and when he came out and publicly started discussing his problems while working with Kanye as well as the fact that Kanye had stiffed him on quite a big portion of his bill, Kanye threatened to sue Stanulis for talking about him and his family publicly, which he claimed was a breach of their contract. He said that he would not follow through with the suit if Stanulis apologized, but Stanulis countered by saying that he had not signed any kind of non-disclosure agreements when he was contracted by the West family and therefore had done nothing wrong.
They Could Get Fired For Talking To Kim
In the aforementioned bodyguard firing, the former Kanye bodyguard claims that he was actually fired for having a conversation with Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian West, that Kanye misinterpreted as flirtation. Stanulis claims that he became aware of a change in scheduling for the family and that Kim was the first West family member that he saw, so he tried to clarify the plans with her. Shortly after the bodyguard was fired, and when he contacted the agency that he got the job with to inquire about his payment for the last few days of work, he says that the agency told him that Kanye wasn't going to pay up. Stanulis said that some of Kanye's other employees had told him not to talk to Kim before, but I guess he didn't take the direction seriously enough and it cost him the job only two weeks after he was initially hired by West.
But That Doesn't Mean That Kim Won't Be Demanding
While most of Kim Kardashian's former employees who have discussed their boss in public have given Kim very good reviews, rumor has it that a lot of Kanye's team were not too thrilled with the reality star's demands and particular tastes when her relationship with Kanye first began. Supposedly when Kim started spending more time with Kanye, she began bossing around Kanye's bodyguards and housekeepers quite a bit, often taking his bodyguards on her shopping trips to carry her bags for her and asking the housekeepers to ensure that she had fresh flowers, fruits, and vegetables at all times. And while those aren't the most outrageous demands that anyone could ever make, it seems like pretty risky business if the allegation that Kanye will fire an employee for simply talking to Kim has any merit to it. That seems like a pretty impossible tightrope to walk, so it's no surprise that some of their employees might feel caught in the middle.
He Won't Press His Own Elevator Buttons
In one particularly bizarre anecdote about the hip hop artist megastar, Kanye's former bodyguard Steve Stanulis said that Kanye refused to push his own elevator buttons, even when he was the only person in the elevator who knew where to go. In one strange incident, Stanulis says that they were in an elevator in a building that Stanulis was unfamiliar with, and Kanye was upset that Steve had not called the building ahead of time to find out which floor they were going to. And after a bizarre standoff where his bodyguard essentially explained that their only choices were that either Kanye press the button since he knew which floor they were supposed to be going to or he could tell him and the bodyguard would press the button himself. Kanye finally relented and informed the bodyguard which floor they were supposed to go to, but that seems like a pretty odd thing to get so upset about.
Sometimes He Can't Even Get Through An Hour With One Employee
When you're dealing with a temperamental diva for a boss, it's definitely safe to expect the unexpected, but even as far as diva bosses go, it sounds like Kanye West takes it above and beyond the usual. In fact, some of his former employees have claimed that before they were contracted out to one of Kanye's jobs, they were warned that he tends to go through employees pretty fast, so don't be surprised if the gig lasts for a few days or even for a few hours. And what's even more unfortunate is some of his former employees claim that after they were abruptly fired, they had trouble getting paid for the work they did do for West. So considering how unpredictable Kanye's moods and preferences seem to be, it's understandable that many people would be reluctant to work for him, especially if they thought he might hold out on their pay if he was feeling especially foul.
He's Even More Of A Diva Than You Think
Kanye has a tendency of talking about himself as if he's some sort of demigod of music, art, fashion, and well, everything else on the planet, so it's kind of hard to imagine that he could be even more of a diva than he seems to be on the surface. But according to those that have worked with him before, his demands for the people around him are above and beyond what any normal person would expect. Some of the more ridiculous and hilarious directives he's given to his employees include not touching him, not getting into his paparazzi shots, not speaking to him, and not speaking to each other, especially when he's nearby. Having some particular preferences about your environment and the way you want your employees to behave is to be expected, but when your directions for your underlings' day to day activities are stricter than a Scientologist's birth plan, then maybe it's time to relax.
He's Condescending
In fact, Kanye's former bodyguard says that the millionaire rapper is the most condescending people that he ever met, and even though he worked for other high profile celebrities who were even more successful than Kanye was, they were all much more humble and less self-absorbed than the diva hip hop artist. And sadly, it's not that unusual to have a rude or condescending boss, but it is pretty unusual to be able to stand out in an industry full of divas and egomaniacs as the most arrogant person of all. Considering how West comes across during his public rants and feuds with other celebrities, you can only imagine what he must be like behind closed doors, and when you hold someone else's employment status in your hands, it's easier to treat them poorly and not concern yourself with any possible blowback, but it's certainly no fun to be on the receiving end of that.
He Doesn't Want Anyone To Talk About Him
This is actually a pretty standard expectation to have if you're a celebrity with a dozen people working for you and around you, and it's reasonable to expect that the people who work for you won't air your dirty laundry in public and share anything private and personal that they shouldn't be sharing. However, that's a reasonable expectation if you act like a reasonable person, which doesn't seem to be the situation here. Also, the expectation for that respect is usually because that respect should go both ways. An employee wouldn't talk about their employer in an unflattering way because they are the reason they're employed, and employers would expect that employees wouldn't speak poorly about them because they're their boss and are providing them with significant compensation, partially in exchange for that respect. Seeing as Kanye seems to fire any employee on a whim and treat them terribly while they're in his employ, then it is a little ridiculous for him to expect that they won't even say anything about his antics afterwards.
He Doesn't Want Anyone To Talk To Him
It's really not that much of a shock that Kanye wouldn't want anyone to talk to him. That honestly sounds like exactly the kind of diva demand that he would make, but it's kind of baffling to imagine how you would work for someone without ever actually speaking to them. I guess you can just wait until the boss speaks to you and makes it known what exactly he wants you to do, but even with that, does he really expect that nobody who works for him will ever have anything that they need to ask him or say to him? Usually good communication is the key to a good working environment, and while Kanye's ego isn't something he tries to keep a secret, there's having an ego and there's seeing yourself as someone completely above everyone and everything else around you. He does not sound like the most pleasant boss to have.
He'll Only Let You Wear Black
According to Kanye's former bodyguard Steve Stanulis, Kanye actually forbade any of his employees from wearing clothing that wasn't plain and black. He says that he was told that Kanye finds patterns to be distracting (which is a pretty odd quirk), but that still doesn't really explain why no one could wear anything that wasn't just a solid color of any color. Kim and Kanye have made no secret of the fact that they're big fans of neutrals, and Kanye has also been very vocal about wanting to become a significant force in the fashion industry, but that really seems like a bit much. Unless it's being used as a tool for easily identifying your own crew in a crowd, it seems a little over the top, and frankly it's a little absurd that an aspiring fashion designer can't even look at prints and only wants to see the color black.
He'll Never Apologize
Granted, most bosses probably wouldn't apologize to their subordinates unless they did something completely egregious, but working for someone with Kanye's level of arrogance who can never ever admit that they're wrong must be insanely frustrating, especially when the person who will wind up getting blamed for his missteps will probably be you. Add on the fact that he's known for being moody and unpredictable, and it would seem like just being in his orbit is being in a situation that is rife with opportunities for him to flip out on the people around him and then not even bother apologizing once the drama is all over. Dealing with a boss who is demanding is stressful enough, but dealing with someone whose demands are completely unpredictable and who will get very upset if you fail to predict them has got to be a miserable situation to deal with, regardless of what your pay might be.
He Has More Ego Than Most Celebs
To say that he has more ego than most celebrities is really saying a lot. He's definitely not shy about how highly he thinks of himself, and while having pride and confidence in yourself and your abilities is fine, it sounds like West might take that way overboard. A former employee says that he never apologizes or admits to any mistakes, and seems to expect that his employees should know whatever it is he wants without him having to tell them. And if he says or does something that is flat out wrong, he doesn't sound like the type to apologize. If anything, it seems that he puts the blame for his own mistakes on other people. According to some reports, he has such difficulty dealing with others that sometimes he employs someone for a day or less before firing them for some reason. Some people have only lasted a few hours on his payroll before getting canned.
He Loves To Freak Out
If Kanye is really known for anything besides being one of the world's most successful rappers, it's his ability to create drama out of nothing. His public meltdowns could possibly just be publicity stunts, but if they are, then he needs a better publicist and PR strategist. Considering how his public freak-outs always end up with him coming out looking worse, I think it's safe to assume that he just has no filter and doesn't know how to control himself. So if he is comfortable starting fights with random celebrities on social media or even in the mainstream media, you can only imagine what he must be like when he's dealing with people that are below him on the totem pole. He seems to have no problem being rude as you can imagine to anyone at any time, so you'd think you'd have to be paid quite a bit of money to be willing to put up with his antics day in and day out.
Kim Will Be Your Boss Too
When it comes to being an employee of the Kardashian West family, Kim Kardashian actually has a much better reputation for treating her employees kindly and respectfully, and most of her employees have given the reality star rave reviews when it comes to being a boss. However, that doesn't mean that working for Kim Kardashian isn't a pretty tough gig even on her easiest days,. If you're expected to work for the entire West family but Kanye doesn't actually want anyone talking to Kim, then that would be a pretty difficult minefield to navigate. Kim's former employees say that she was a very down to earth person who would regularly sit and chat with her employees, but in Kanye West's world, that is apparently a fireable offence. Kanye's employees have also said that Kim is a very calming force during his emotional ups and downs, but his possessiveness over his wife can cause some strain within their organization.
Kanye Isn't Good At Maintaining Relationships
Kanye West has been in the entertainment industry spotlight for a very long time now, and his vibe and behavior in public gives off an impression that he is a pretty unstable and moody character. It's clearly a part of his whole "I'm an artistic genius" thing, but it doesn't really seem like an attitude or behavior problem that is fake or put on. He has also had some pretty public and embarrassing falling outs with a lot of other celebrities, whether it's rich and famous people he barely knows or people that have been his close personal friends for a long time. But either way, if he's that bad at dealing with people that he likes or sees as his equal, then you can only imagine how difficult it would be to deal with him if he sees you as his subordinate or below him. It's understandable why he might go through so many employees, and it's no surprise that they wouldn't want to come back.
