Mathew Knowles, father of global superstar Beyoncé, has spoken out about the recent controversial remarks made by rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) regarding Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s children. In a statement to TMZ on Friday, Knowles expressed his concern for Ye’s well-being while addressing the hurtful comments.
ICYMI, earlier in the week, Ye sparked outrage with a now-deleted post on social media that targeted Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s 7-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir. In the post, Ye used an ableist slur and made offensive claims about the children.
“WAIT HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN JAY Z AND BEYONCES YOUNGER KIDS,” Ye wrote. “THEYRE RETARDED NO LIKE LITERALLY AND THIS IS WHY ARTIFICAL INSEMANATAION [SIC] IS SUCH A BLESSING.” He added, “HAVING RETARDED CHILDREN IS A CHOICE.”
The digusting post, which quickly made national headlines, was met with widespread criticism. While Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, appeared to respond by quoting Scripture, Mathew Knowles took a more direct approach.
“People pay a price for being stupid, especially in the music industry,” Mathew Knowles told TMZ. He went on to express his hope that Ye would seek the support he needs, stating, “I’m hopeful Kanye gets the type of help he needs, in terms of mental health.”
Despite Ye’s history of praising Jay-Z and Beyoncé—including naming Jay-Z as one of the “12 rap kings” and famously interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to champion Beyoncé—his recent comments appear to have severed any remaining ties with the power couple. A source told Page Six that Jay-Z and Beyoncé are even considering legal action in response to the incident.