No stranger to grandiosity, Kanye West debuted his video for “Famous” in, naturally, a live-premiere event out of Los Angeles. And no stranger to controversy, it featured the naked effigies of 11 of his fellow celebrities. No one was off-limits, not friends, family, former enemies, or public figures. And so, inspired by painter Vincent Desiderio’s “Sleep” piece, ‘Ye’s video gave us the image of George W. Bush, Anna Wintour, Donald Trump, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby all lying in the nude and in bed together. It’s an image we never could have imagined and still aren’t entirely sure we want.
And considering Kanye tweeted (and then deleted) a taunting invitation to sue him, we can only assume that he never obtained the approval of his selected subjects.
It also doesn’t seem to matter that the clip is meant to be “a comment on fame,” as he told Vanity Fair, because not everyone is appreciating the artistic effort. Here’s what the featured figures had to say:
Chris Brown seemed to take the clip in stride, though he wasn’t necessarily a fan of his recreation. He wrote on Instagram: “Why I gotta have the plumbers butt/ crack showing WAX figure?😂😂😂😂. This ni—a KANYE CRAZY, talented, but crazy 😭😭😭🏆”
Taylor Swift, however, is unsurprisingly not as receptive—allegedly. Considering that she and ‘Ye are still at odds over whether or not she was on-board for that infamous lyric, it’s highly unlikely that she’d give the “OK” on her naked likeness appearing in the video. A source told Hollywood Life, “Taylor is livid. Taylor is horrified. Taylor didn’t know what to do when she heard about what Kanye did. She is bewildered, feels betrayed and is beyond frustrated with Kanye. It is like a complete nightmare. Taylor is pissed to say the least!”
Ray J isn’t tripping, but apparently his girl is. The former ex-boyfriend of Kanye’s wife told Entertainment Tonight, “Man, I’m just trying to stay positive. I’m engaged. My marriage is all messed up ’cause of craziness. I’m not part of nothing crazy. I walk down a good path. My fiancée tripping. It’s all bad in my world, and that ain’t cool.”
Ray J’s manager, however, took a less conservative approach and came to bat for his client, threats and all. He told TMZ, “If they didn’t show Ray J with his dick in Kim Kardashian’s mouth, tell Kanye to go back and reshoot that shit. Tell that ni—a he a long way from Chicago. He better watch his motherf—king mouth.”
George W. Bush laid all the rumors to rest via his communications director and personal aide who told Billboard, “In case there was any doubt, I’ll state the obvious: That is not President Bush. He is in much better shape.”
Watch the video for yourself here.