The incident, which was captured in a video by TMZ, occurred while the “Flashing Lights” rapper was on his way to Charlie Wilson’s Walk of Fame ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard Monday.
In the video, the pap approached West from behind, asking him, “People want to know if Bianca has her free will, some people are saying you’re controlling her…”
However, before she was able to finish her sentence, the rapper turned to face her and snatched the phone out of her hands.
Despite the screen going black, he could be heard telling her, “Don’t come at me with that dumbass s–t, I’m a person. Are you crazy?”
He continued, “I’m a legend, I’m here to support Charlie Wilson and you come ask me some dumbass s–t about my wife. That’s my wife.”
Kanye West got aggressive with a paparazzo asking about his relationship with his wife, Bianca Censori.GC Images
West, 49, continued to berate the reporter asking if she had any “free will” or if she “works for the devil.”
While the pap begged for her phone back, several people could be heard attempting to de-escalate the situation — to no avail.
“You asked me if my wife had free will. Was that a dumbass, disrespectful question to ask a grown-ass superhero,” West continued.
“Was that wrong or right? he added. “Answer the question, I’m supposed to answer your questions, answer my questions.”
“People want to know if Bianca has her free will, some people are saying you’re controlling her,” the pap asked.SPOT / GOME / BACKGRIDWest stole the reporter’s phone, lecturing her about the “dumbass” question.SPOT / GOME / BACKGRID
Before backing down, West then offered the reporter a job, even going as far as saying he would pay double her salary.
A rep for West did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The interaction comes after reports surfaced that West has banned his wife from using social media for her protection.
Per the Daily Mail, the rapper allegedly prohibits Censori, 29, from using the apps to avoid negative comments. However, this move has “isolated” her.
“I’m a legend, I’m here to support Charlie Wilson and you come ask me some dumbass s–t about my wife. That’s my wife,” he said.SPOT / GOME / BACKGRIDThe hitmaker refused to give the pap her phone back as several people tried to de-escalate the situation.SPOT / GOME / BACKGRID
“Bianca has always had social media and she was active on it — until she married Kanye,” a source told the outlet.
“He doesn’t want her to have it because he thinks that it will hurt her if she had to read the nasty things that people say.”
“He convinced her that, since she is a star now, she has to remain a mystery and it is creepy to those who know her as it feels like another form of control,” the insider continued.
He then offered her a job with double her current salary.SPOT / GOME / BACKGRID
West eventually gave the reporter her phone back before walking away.SPOT / GOME / BACKGRID
The source claimed that the model doesn’t need to be protected from social media, but from West as he continues to share explicit photos of her on Instagram.
“He is pushing her nakedness all over his own [account] so that he can control her narrative. It is disturbing, and by shutting her off from the world he is causing her to become more and more isolated,” the source said, per the outlet.
The insider added her “strong” character has “seemingly vanished” at the hands of her husband, who allegedly controls what she wears and where she goes.
The Grammy winner was pressed amid reports he controls his wife.Amina Muaddi/Instagram
“She went from being his designer to his wife, which is unfortunately, not a paid position. She’s trapped,” they continued.
Censori and West — who wed in December 2022 — raised eyebrows last fall amid reports that they were spending time apart because her family believed their marriage had “taken its toll on her.”
At the time, her close friends had even staged an intervention following reports that the fashion designer controls what she eats and when she works out.