A new documentary offers a raw look into a heated argument between music icon Kanye West, 48, and his former mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, 69. The tension boiled over regarding medication, with West stating he would "rather be dead" than take it. This explosive scene is part of West’s documentary, Who in the Name of?, which just premiered on Friday, September 19.
The intense discussion, filmed after West’s visit with former President Donald Trump in October 2018, saw West confront Jenner directly. "No one in the family has taken responsibility for my hospital visit," West yelled. He continued, asking, "That’s at least 50 percent of what people say. Am I lying?" He also claimed he was made to feel "like a piece of garbage." West pointedly told Jenner, "The only reason you got away with it is because I was medicated."
Jenner tried to calm the situation, starting to say, "It doesn’t matter," before West cut her off by raising his voice. Her boyfriend, Corey Gamble, could be heard off-camera, trying to ease the argument. Jenner finished her thought, explaining, "It matters to us and to you. It doesn’t matter what the internet says. What we think matters, Ye." West then stormed out, only to return and press her further. "So, what do you think?" he asked. "Did you have any effect on my mental health?"
Jenner replied with an emotional "Yes," explaining her feelings. "I love you. I don’t want you to not be perfect," she said. "I love you, and I want my daughter to love you as you want her to love you."
West’s strong feelings likely connect to his 2016 hospitalization. In 2018, he shared that he was diagnosed with a mental health condition at 39. He spoke about it while promoting his album Ye. "I think everyone has something," he noted at the time. "But, as I said on the album, it’s not a disability. It’s a superpower." On the album, he also shared that he lives with bipolar disorder.
This deep dive into family dynamics also includes West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, 44. The couple married in 2014 and had four children: North, 12; Saint, 9; Chicago, 7; and Psalm, 5. Kardashian filed for divorce in February 2021, and their split was finalized in November 2022. She also appears in West’s new documentary. A trailer released last month showed a tearful Kardashian. She can be heard saying, "Your personality wasn’t like this a few years ago." In another part of the film, West tells his former wife, "Never tell me that one day I will wake up with nothing."