INDIO, Calif. (CNS) — The lineup for the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival got a shakeup Monday with news that Ye — the rapper formerly known as Kanye West — has pulled out of his headlining spot.
The website TMZ broke the news of Ye’s withdrawal, although the reason for the move was unclear. The Los Angeles Times confirmed the report, also citing unnamed sources.
Officials with Coachella did not immediately respond to a request for comment
Ye was expected to be the headliner on April 17 and 24 at the two-weekend festival. His withdrawal leaves the event with Billie Eilish and Harry Styles as the remaining headliners.
Travis Scott was also anticipated to appear with Ye, and he is also no longer planning to attend, TMZ reported. Scott has not appeared at a large-scale show since 10 people died during his performance at the Astroworld Festival in Houston as the crowd surged forward toward the stage.
Ye had threatened earlier this year to pull out of Coachella, demanding that Eilish publicly apologize to Scott, insinuating that she had insulted Scott when she briefly halted a show in Atlanta because of a fan who was in distress in the crowd. Ye apparently took it as a reference to the Astroworld tragedy, although Eilish never mentioned that incident or Scott.
Page Six reported last week that Ye was “going away to get help” following his social media bashing of ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her new boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson. Ye wound up getting briefly suspended from Instagram for his postings, and his planned appearance at Sunday’s Grammy Awards in Las Vegas was canceled.
Other acts scheduled to perform at this year’s festival include rappers Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Baby Keem and Megan Thee Stallion; R&B singers Daniel Caesar, Giveon and Ari Lennox; singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers; and dance-music acts Flume and Disclosure.
Swedish House Mafia, the reunited EDM trio, will also perform, along with film composer Danny Elfman, the Italian rock band Maneskin, and the regional Mexican group Grupo Firme.