Kanye West had major meltdown over pressing elevator button, reveals ex-bodyguard: 'His rules are ridiculous'
Kanye West’s former bodyguard, Steve Stanulis, has recently opened up about his experience of working with the rapper. Stanulis, who was fired by West in 2016, said that the ‘I Love It’ singer was one of his “least favorite people” to work for.
On the Hollywood Raw podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn, Stanulis spoke about the “ridiculous rules” West had for him. “He wanted you to stay 10 paces behind him on a city street. So obviously if someone is going to come up and do something, by the time I try to run up and prevent it, it would have already happened,” Stanulis, a former NYPD officer of Staten Island, said.
During the podcast, the former celebrity bodyguard who has worked with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Downey Jr, said that West had a meltdown on the first day they met, ranting over the fact Stanulis was not sure which button to press in the elevator of a studio where he was making clothes for his fashion line. He then recalled how West threw toys out of the pram saying: “So you mean you didn’t call ahead to find out where I’m supposed to be going?”
To which Stanulis instantly hit back at the time: “Look bro, we can do this one of three ways. One, you could tell me what button to press, and now I’ll know. Two, you could press the button, and I’ll see which one you press so I’ll know. Or three, you can sit in here all day and tell me how important your time is and we are not going to go anywhere’.”
"It happened on numerous occasions, I would give him the one, two, three, and he would always go for the first option," Stanulis added on the podcast.
Stanulis, who used to perform for the Chippendales under the stage name 'Steve Savage', also speculated about his experience with West, his wife Kim Kardashian, and paparazzi as he said: “First of all, there’s no way [paparazzi] doesn’t get called upfront. There’s no way every time they are leaving, all these people know about it. There’s definitely somebody calling ahead. That’s just my opinion... I’m just saying it isn't coincidental that wherever we are, they’re always there. Maybe they’re just better than I think they are.”
Later, in the podcast, Stanulis admitted that West was the hardest worker that he has ever come across but also the “neediest, moodiest and worst tipper”. He added that he would not work with him again in the future. Stanulis revealed the name of the celebrities who were nice to him. He said Tobey Maguire was the “kindest” while also praising Alanis Morissette, Woody Harrelson, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Stephen Baldwin.
However, this was not the first time Stanulis was slamming West. He had earlier made disparaging remarks about the 42-year-old and his wife Kim following her Paris robbery in October 2016. In several interviews, he alleged that West would not allow him to take the same cab when traveling, or sit at the same table when out for dinner. The ‘Runaway’ singer had not responded that time over the accusations.