Kanye West: HELL NO, I Won't Perform on 'Today'
Kanye West claims there's no way he's going to perform on the "Today" show later this month -- as he was scheduled to do -- strictly because of the way Matt Lauer and Co. handled his interview about George W. Bush.
Just hours ago, Kanye went to his Twitter page and pounded out the following message, "I'm not performing on the Today Show for obvious reasons. I'm so happy the world got to see just a small piece of 'the set up.'"
As we previously reported, Kanye butted heads with "Today" over an interview they aired on Wednesday -- in which Kanye said, "I would tell George Bush, in my moment of frustration that I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist."
As of yesterday, the people at "Today" still expected Kanye to do their show on Black Friday -- but now a rep tells us Kanye's officially out.
See also
Matt Lauer 'We Stand By' Kanye Interview
Matt Lauer is holding his ground against Kanye West -- claiming he stands by his recent interview with the rapper ... despite Kanye's allegations that Matt manipulated him into showing remorse for George W. Bush.
Kanye flipped out on Twitter yesterday -- after "Today" aired a clip of the interview -- claiming Lauer "tried to force" his answers during Tuesday's sit-down ... in which the rapper said, "I would tell George Bush, in my moment of frustration that I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist."
But Lauer stood by his interview -- which addressed the rapper's famous post-Katrina remark that Bush "doesn't care about black people" -- airing the entire segment this morning to prove that nothing was taken out of context.
Kanye is scheduled to return to "Today" for a performance on November 26th -- and sources at the show tell us they're still expecting the rapper to show up.
More Kanye West
Lindsay Lohan Is 'Today' the One for Her?
TMZ has learned ... Lindsay Lohan has "multiple offers" for her first television interview since getting out of jail/rehab -- and one of her biggest suitors is "Today."
Sources tell TMZ the NBC show has definite interest in landing the coveted sit-down with LiLo -- a source at the Peacock says they are "actively" trying to sign her.
We're told Lindsay is strongly considering Matt Lauer & Co. -- among several other outlets -- which is ironic considering Dina Lohan's "Today" appearance didn't go over so well.
Maybe now she can clear up once and for all just how many times she went to rehab.
UPDATE: Dina Lohan tells TMZ "no final decision has been made" on Lindsay's first TV appearance.
More Lindsay Lohan
Hoda vs. Kathie Lee Who'd You Rather?
Co-hosts of the fourth hours of the "Today," Hoda Kotb, 45, and Kathie Lee Gifford, 56, showed up to the same Broadway event in NYC on Thursday.
Question is ...
See also
Beyonce's Dad Was Right Hoax, Hoax, Hoax!!!
Beyonce has officially been cleared of all bad singing charges -- the atrocious supposed "board mix" of her performance on "The Today Show" last year was altered after all.
Just as Mathew Knowles told us, the audio clip that many people believed was leaked from "Today" was indeed a fake.
In fact, TMZ found the person behind the prank who was surprised it went as far as it did, saying, "It's a little bit crazy. No one in their right mind would sound like that, and no one would cheer for someone singing like that."
Apparently, the dude never went to an Ashlee Simpson concert...
See Also
Howard Stern Exposes a Screeching Beyonce
If you've ever wondered what a cat sounds like when it's being strangled, then you're gonna love the supposed raw, unedited, "board mix" of Beyonce Knowles from her "Today Show" performance last year -- courtesy of Howard Stern.
The King of All Media ran the supposedly leaked audio clip on his Sirius radio show yesterday.
Talk about something "fierce"...
Billy Ray: I Wasn't There, But Her Publicist Was
Billy Ray Cyrus just won't stop slinging the smelly stuff at Annie Leibovitz and Vanity Fair over those saucy Miley shots -- comparing the situation to "stomping in poop."
Of course, when "Today's" Meredith Vieira asked him where the hell he was when the infamous shot was taken, he apparently had more important things to do than look after his baby.