Kanye West Sparks Outrage With Alarming Drunk Driving Message Despite Surviving Near-Fatal Crash

Rapper Kanye West is at the center of another social media controversy, this time with a post on X, previously known as Twitter, that appears to advocate for drunk driving.

West briefly returned to the platform on Monday after a period of silence following antisemitic statements made early this month.

He hasn't been back long and has released a series of cryptic messages but is facing backlash over one post in particular.

This caused fans and followers alike to worry and attack him in the comments, especially after he wrote in ALL CAPPS: "REAL FRIENDS LET FRIENDS DRIVE DRUNK."

The post aired on the heels of a devastating car accident that West himself survived, almost fatally, in 2002.

According to Newsweek , citing Rolling Stone, he crashed into an occupied parked car shortly before 3 a.m. after falling asleep behind the wheel of a rental Lexus.

West had a broken jaw, whilst the other driver suffered broken legs.

The tweet, shared at 6:52 p.m., received more than 2.2 million views within hours and thousands of comments from users expressing their displeasure.

Immediately, critics condemned the message, saying it glorified drunk driving and that friends should be there to "light up less reckless paths."

Pulling in quite the engagement, user @1CreativePower tweeted: "Real friends drive their drunk friends home." Likewise, @iamskrptd recounted a story of his own DUI, writing, "No they don't. I got a DUI and my life is ruined."

Some of the responses to the backlash were not without their lighter moments.

Others jokingly wondered how West's statement would apply to self-driving vehicles, with @LorettaKrypto asking: "How about if it's a Tesla?"

Public safety advocates quickly condemned the rapper's tweet as void of responsibility.

Driving under the influence is still one of the top reasons for fatal accidents in the country, and organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have been fighting against it for decades.

The incident adds to a string of controversies involving "Jesus Walks" rapper Kanye West, including prior antisemitic remarks and the sale of merchandise depicting controversial symbols.

West's representatives did not return immediate requests for comment.

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