Amidst the swirling rumors that rapper Kanye West and reality-star-turned-prison-reform-advocate
Kim Kardashian West are in the first stages of separation and divorce, it looks like another
wrench has been thrown into the mix.
Rumors are swirling that Kanye, whose most recent headline-making exploit was a failed
bid for the 2020 presidential seat, helped speed up the process with an extramarital
affair. To make things even more interesting, Kanye's purported paramour is none other than
Internet celebrity and makeup magnate Jeffree Star.
So how, exactly, did Star deal with the rumor? And how did murmurs of a possible romantic
relationship begin in the first place?
Star responded to the rumors through a flip post on his Instagram and Twitter accounts.
The post in question, which Star uploaded to his social media on January 6th, 2021,
featured Star posing in a pink bathrobe, accompanied by the caption:
"I'm ready for Sunday Service."
If you're unfamiliar with recent goings-on in the Kanye-verse, the phrase "Sunday Service"
is a reference to a series of Christianity-based concerts that West performed throughout the
better part of 2020 with his Sunday Service choir. Of course, the way Star approached
it, the phrasing "Sunday service" also takes on a bit of a scandalous double meaning.
While Star's post in response to the rumors have incited speculation, the veracity of
the rumors are suspicious to say the least. And after a few social media posts that seemed
to stoke the rumors, the makeup guru came out with a video denying the claims on January
7th. So where did the unsubstantiated story even come from? The answer seems to be a popular
TikTok account.
"I guess some girl made up a lie on Tiktok and it went viral."
The most likely source behind the dubious claim of an alleged affair between Kanye West
and YouTuber Jeffree Star is TikTok celebrity named Ava Louise.
Louise first gained a following on TikTok for a viral "Coronavirus challenge" video
which featured her licking a toilet seat in an airplane bathroom.
She made headlines again when her account seemed to generate the rumor of a Kanye and
Jeffree Star relationship, shortly after news broke of a possible Kim and Kanye divorce.
"Kanye has been hooking up with a very famous beauty guru. Male beauty guru!"
In the video, Louise claimed that she had known about the alleged relationship for some
time, saying, quote, "A lot of people in the scene have known for a while."
After reaching out to Louise in an attempt to verify her sources, Insider reported that
the TikTok user later admitted that she had no evidence to back up her explosive claims,
saying only that she was friends with an entertainment lawyer who allegedly had evidence of an affair.
While makeup maverick Jeffree Star's recent social media post might have generated free
press for the Internet celebrity, it also might have had a dual purpose. The rumored
relationship has served as a deflection from some more serious allegations recently levied
against Star.
Insider reported in December 2020 that they had purportedly obtained leaked documents
which indicated that a $45,000 check issued by Star's company, Jeffree Star Cosmetics,
was made out to Gage Arthur, who had previously made claims that Star sexually assaulted him
in 2009.
Arthur, who was a homeless teenager when the event allegedly occurred, disclosed to Insider
earlier in 2020 that Star had inflicted nonconsensual oral sex on Arthur while he was intoxicated.
Arthur also claimed that Star had shocked him with a taser hours earlier, which an anonymous
corroborating source purported to have witnessed.
Though Arthur later recanted his statements to Insider in September 2020, after both Star
and executives at JSC learned of Insider's intent to publish an investigative piece about
Star's alleged past sexual abuse, the outlet later reported that the check issued to Arthur
seemingly indicated that he had been paid off through the company's account to retract
his accusations.
Ultimately, there seems to remain no real evidence of an affair between Kanye West and
Jeffree Star, but the embattled makeup guru seems to have plenty of reasons to want the
story in the news.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, you can call the National
Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit RAINN.org for additional resources.