Many know that Kanye West sometimes shows strange behavior even on stage. Who can forget the infamous moment he grabbed the mic from Taylor Swift while the "Famous" hitmaker was giving an acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards? Former Kanye's bodyguard revealed there were more like this and what tactic he used to tame the rapper.
Bodyguard to the stars Steve Stanulis has tons of stories to tell about the Hollywood celebrities that he served with such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Steven Baldwin, and Kanye West. But his time working with Kim Kardashian's husband could be the most legendary. Stanulis said West was the most mean and moody celebrity that he had worked with.
During an interview on the Hollywood Raw podcast, Stanulis recalled the first time he met Kanye. He started working for The Life of Pablo singer during a fashion week as a temporary member of his security detail. It wasn't a pleasant first day at work for the NYPD officer-turned-bodyguard-turned-director.
Stanulis was tasked to escort West to a studio but when they hopped on an elevator, West snapped at him and asked why Stanulis didn't hit the button for the floor. But since he was new in the team, Stanulis wasn't sure which button to press.
Kanye West berated him but he wasn't intimidated by it. Instead, he gave Kanye three options: to hit the button himself, to tell Stanulis which button to hit, or they could just stand there and West could continue berating him. West chose the first option.
But it wasn't the only time Stanulis got a chance to use this tactic. It happened again when he was asked to pick up the rapper off the side of the highway after he had a fight somewhere.
Stanulis recalled the night he got a call from a cop he used to work with, in the NYPD. The police officer told him that Kanye got into a fight and he was walking down the Westside Highway. The cop asked Stanulis if he could pick up his boss.
Stanulis agreed and jumped into his family car which was partially filled with his twins' baby seats and other stuff. When he found West, he was walking with a friend. Stanulis called West and told him to get in the car.
The Jesus Is King singer obeyed and climbed into the front seat and then told his off-duty bodyguard that he needed to move the baby seats at the back so his friend could hop in. Again, he refused to get intimidated by Kanye.
He gave him three choices once again. First, he can get in the car, and his friend can sit between the baby seats. Two, Kanye can keep walking and he will just meet him wherever they will go since he is not obligated to escort and protect him as it wasn't his working hours yet. Or three, Kanye's friend has to move the kids' stuff at the back seat by himself and get into the car. The two eventually got in the car.
