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Teyana Taylor has opened up about her continued relationship with Kanye West, making it clear that while she does not agree with everything he says or does, she will not abandon him. In a Vanity Fair cover story published on January 13, the actress and musician addressed questions surrounding her stance on West following years of public controversy and past professional frustrations.
"I don't have to agree with everything that he do or say, but I'm not going to, like, abandon him and be like, 'Yeah, eff that motherf**er,'" Taylor said. "My brothers do s*** that I don't agree with. ... I don't get into none of that." She added that when West seeks her input, he knows she will be honest, explaining, "If you want a real answer, you ask me. So if he asks me something, he knows he's gonna get a real answer."
Taylor's comments come nearly five years after she publicly expressed feeling "underappreciated" while signed to West's G.O.O.D. Music label. West signed Taylor to the label in 2012, marking the start of a long creative partnership that included her standout appearance in the 2016 "Fade" music video. While the video brought her widespread attention, Taylor has previously said the focus on her appearance overshadowed her broader ambitions.
After releasing her third album, The Album, Taylor announced in December 2020 that she was stepping away from music, citing frustrations with industry support. At the time, she wrote that she often felt overlooked and received "little to no real push from the 'machine.'" She later explained that the decision was about no longer wanting to give more effort than she felt was being reciprocated.
Despite those challenges, Taylor has since built a successful acting career. On January 11, she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Female Actor for her role as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another. In her acceptance speech, she delivered a message of affirmation, saying, "Our softness is not a liability... Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into."
Taylor also reflected on how her experiences differ when working with male and female colleagues in Hollywood, describing male co-stars as having a protective, "big brother" energy, while sets with women foster a sense of sisterhood and openness.
While West's public image has remained polarizing, Taylor emphasized her personal approach to navigating relationships, noting that she prefers to operate quietly and focus on her own path. As she put it, "I'm in my business and I drink my water."