After a week of silence, Kanye West has finally spoken out about the alleged altercation between himself and a man who he claims had “sexually assaulted” his wife, Bianca Censori. The incident, which occurred at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles, resulted in a battery case against the 46-year-old rapper. Initial reports suggested that West had punched the man at the upscale hotel, but West has since denied these claims, stating that the incident did not take place at Disneyland as previously reported.
In an interview on “The Download” podcast, West provided his side of the story, clarifying that he had not witnessed the alleged assault but had acted upon information relayed to him by his wife. West claims that a man had “put his hands under Censori’s dress” and “grabbed” her inappropriately, prompting West to confront the individual outside the club where the incident occurred.
West recalled the encounter, saying, “I talked to the guy and said, ‘You just, you need to leave right now,’ and he was like, ‘Oh, it’s okay.’ And, it’s like, ‘no, it’s not okay,'” emphasizing that the situation was unacceptable.
The initial report from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) identified the alleged victim as one of LA’s bar-owning twins, either Mark or Jonnie Houston. Sources speaking to TMZ, however, claim that Censori’s account of the incident is inaccurate and that the club was merely crowded at the time, resulting in an accidental bump between Censori and one of the twins. According to these sources, the incident was brief, and the man left to join his friends outside until West approached him.
Conflicting reports have emerged, suggesting that West may have confronted the wrong twin, although it remains unclear which of the Houstons had the initial contact with Censori. The alleged victim reported the incident to the police, who arrived after West had left the scene with his wife. LAPD confirmed to NBC News that the man had stated that West had punched him in the face at least twice.
A statement released by West’s team to Metro.co.uk had previously claimed that “‘Grabbed’ is grossly inadequate as a description of what happened. Bianca was physically assaulted. The assailant didn’t merely collide into her. He put his hands under her dress, directly on her body, he grabbed her waist, he spun her around, and then he blew her kisses. She was battered and sexually assaulted.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and law enforcement sources have reportedly not found any evidence to support Censori’s claims that one of the brothers assaulted her. The case will be forwarded to the City Attorney for review to determine if any official charges will be filed.
