Kanye West’s supporters have blasted retired NRL star Sam Burgess for dredging up an unflattering anecdote about the troubled rapper and presidential candidate earlier this week.
The backlash against the sportsman comes amid growing fears for West’s mental health due to his erratic behaviour on the campaign trail – which has resulted in his own wife, Kim Kardashian, saying she is ‘powerless’ to help her bipolar husband.
Burgess, 31, had said on Sydney breakfast radio show Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday that West, 43, had called him ‘poor’ to his face during a ‘weird’ run-in at a London hotel years ago with Australian actor Russell Crowe.
While the former South Sydney Rabbitohs prop wasn’t offended by the remark and laughed it off, some fans didn’t appreciate the fact that Burgess made the story public at a time when West appears to be going through a manic episode.
Bad timing: Kanye West’s (left) supporters have blasted retired NRL star Sam Burgess (right) for dredging up an unflattering anecdote about the troubled rapper and presidential candidate
One supporter wrote on Facebook: ‘Kanye’s in a mental spiral. They say he is sick and needs help. And yet they are coming out of the woodwork with people’s stories of that time Kanye was acting weird. Shame on them!’
Another commented: ‘Man, this has really annoyed me. Why bring something up that happened five years ago? Something that was probably taken the wrong way. When did someone’s mental health become everyone’s entertainment?
‘Stop ripping on people. 2020 has been a whack year. I’m sure a lot of people’s mental health is struggling; I know mine is… My heart goes out to Kanye and anyone else suffering at the moment. Look out and after one another instead of tearing them down further. #be kind.’
Troubled: The backlash against Burgess comes amid growing fears for West’s mental health due to his erratic behaviour on the campaign trail – which has resulted in his own wife, Kim Kardashian (right), saying she is ‘powerless’ to help her bipolar husband. Pictured in 2018
Anecdote: Burgess, 31, had said on Sydney breakfast radio show Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday that West had called him ‘poor’ to his face during a ‘weird’ run-in at a London hotel years ago. Pictured with radio hosts Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald (left) and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli
‘Why are you judging?’ While the former South Sydney Rabbitohs prop wasn’t offended by the remark and laughed it off, some fans didn’t appreciate the fact that Burgess made the story public at a time when West appears to be going through a manic episode
A third fan wrote: ‘Terrible… all these stories coming out. It’s clear [Kayne] is having a spell of mental illness. I hope his family is able to get him the help he needs and that he accepts it.’
A similar comment read: ‘Kanye West is having a terrible episode at the moment and needs serious medical treatment. This is not something to be made light of and these people in the article should be sensitive to that… Make no mistake, this man is ill.’
Another added: ‘Kanye has no filter. And, it was revealed, is literally bipolar (and probably ADHD). I personally see a little (innocent, naive) child in a grown-up world. Give him a chance. Once he gets proper therapy, I am sure he can be a caring, empathetic soul. I’m sure of it.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sam Burgess’ management company, Searoo Sports, for comment.
The saga involving West and Burgess began earlier this week when actor Russell Crowe shared a surprising story about an encounter he’d witnessed between the two men at a London hotel years ago.
The Gladiator star, 56, claimed that West had become annoyed with Burgess for drunkenly singing along to his hit song FourFiveSeconds.
Days later, Burgess confirmed that the meeting did indeed happen – and claimed the Grammy winner had actually called him ‘poor’.
Speaking to Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa, the English sportsman said: ‘It was a weird night!’
‘It was a weird night!’ The saga involving West and Burgess began earlier this week when actor Russell Crowe shared a surprising story about an encounter he’d witnessed between the two men at a London hotel years ago
He explained: ‘I had driven from Bath over to the Dorchester for a session with Rusty at China Tong down there and we were just sitting there and the drinks were flowing, as usual as they are with me and Rusty.
‘Kanye just walked in the room and sat down… I didn’t think it was Kanye at the start because he was so small. I couldn’t believe it!’
The rugby league player said the Gold Digger hitmaker was showing everyone in the room his designs for Yeezy sneakers, and Burgess asked him what his inspiration was.
‘He goes, “Oh, I’m making clothes for poor people just like you,”‘ Sam laughed.
Ouch! The former South Sydney Rabbitohs star said the Gold Digger rapper (pictured) was showing everyone in the room his designs for Yeezy sneakers, and Burgess asked him what his inspiration was. ‘He goes, “Oh, I’m making clothes for poor people just like you,”‘ Sam laughed
He continued: ‘I was kind of chuffed that he called me poor. I thought, “Oh yeah, I’m a peasant! Come and eat dinner at my table if you want, Kanye. It’s fine!”‘
Burgess also said that as he and Crowe were finishing up their dinner, West ordered two chocolate cakes.
‘He was like slurping these two chocolate fondant cakes and I’m looking at him going, “What a peasant! He called me a poor guy, but I’m watching you eat chocolate cakes like you’ve never eaten before!”‘
Oscar-winning actor Crowe first revealed the unlikely feud between the sportsman and the presidential hopeful on the Fitzy and Wippa show on Monday.
It’s a small world! Russell Crowe (pictured) first revealed the unlikely feud between the sportsman and the presidential-hopeful on the Fitzy and Wippa show on Monday
Crowe told the radio program: ‘[He came down and] brought his computer with him. He was just scrolling through a bunch of stuff he was working on. “Here’s some design stuff I have been doing,” etc.’
The hip-hop star told Crowe and Burgess that he had just produced a song with Sir Paul McCartney, which was later released as FourFiveSeconds in 2015.
Crowe continued: ‘[Kanye said,] “So, here’s this song I recorded with Paul McCartney.” So he played it and it hadn’t come out yet. And we were like, “Yeah, it’s great.”
Crowe said that Burgess had had a couple of drinks by this time and decided to sing along to the track, much to West’s annoyance.
Singalong? Crowe explained he’d been having a drink with Burgess at the China Tang restaurant at The Dorchester when West, who happened to be staying at the same hotel, saw them and asked if he could join the conversation
Social: West played a sample of his new song with Sir Paul McCartney, which was later released as FourFiveSeconds in 2015, but was unimpressed when Burgess drunkenly sang along despite not knowing the lyrics
‘So he played it four or five times and at one point Sam is singing along except he doesn’t really know the words,’ Crowe explained.
Unsurprisingly, Burgess’ vocal efforts didn’t go down well with West.
Crowe continued: ‘I could see a little twitch in Kanye’s eye. I said, “Sam, you know you’re getting the words wrong? And the wrong day?”
‘And Sam was like, “It doesn’t matter what day it is, man.” Then he was like, ‘Kanye, Kanye, does it matter what day it is?”‘
Old friends: Crowe explained that he’d met West before the awkward encounter in London. They had spent time together in Sydney, where West met with the actor to discuss using material from Gladiator (pictured) for a project
The Stronger hitmaker then looked at the English sportsman from across the table and muttered angrily: ‘Yeah…’
Crow|e explained that he’d met West before the awkward encounter, hence why the musician decided to come over and greet him at The Dorchester.
They had spent time together in Sydney, where West met with the actor to discuss using material from Gladiator for a project.
It comes after West held his first rally for his 2020 presidential bid in South Carolina on Sunday.
In a rambling and tearful speech, he claimed that his wife, Kim Kardashian, had considered aborting their daughter North. He also sparks outrage by claiming that abolitionist Harriet Tubman ‘never actually freed the slaves’.
White House bid: It comes after West held his first rally for his 2020 presidential bid in South Carolina on Sunday. In a rambling and tearful speech, he claimed that his wife, Kim Kardashian (left), had considered aborting their daughter North
The following day, West tweeted that Kardashian was trying to have him locked up on medical grounds, compared himself to Nelson Mandela and even suggested that the movie Get Out – about a black man being kidnapped by a psychopathic, racist white family – was about him.
He has since claimed he is ‘trying to get divorced’ from Kardashian after she allegedly met rapper Meek Mill to talk about prison reform at the Waldorf Hotel.
Kardashian subsequently released a statement saying she is ‘powerless’ to help her ‘brilliant but complicated’ husband, who has bipolar disorder, adding that ‘his words sometimes do not align with his intentions’.
Worrying: West has since claimed he is ‘trying to get divorced’ from Kardashian after she allegedly met rapper Meek Mill to talk about prison reform at the Waldorf Hotel. The couple are pictured with their children, North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months