Lorne Michaels on Kanye West's SNL outburst: 'He just always delivers'

NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) -- Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels shed light on Kanye West's recent backstage outburst, saying it occurred during a private moment with his team.

Speaking with E! News on his arrival at the premier of Tina Fey's film Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Michaels minimized the incident.

"That happened in his dressing room," he said of a recording of West expressing his frustration over last-minute changes to the stage for his performance. "Kanye's been on the show a lot of years, and it's always different. He's an artist, you know? A great artist."

Last month Kanye West was secretly recorded yelling about his level of influence, at one point calling Taylor Swift "fake." He also repeated the words "Don't [expletive] with me," several times before continuing his rant.

Michaels, however, focused on the positive, saying, "When he did the 40th anniversary show -- which I wanted him to be part of it -- I had no idea what he was going to do, even 10 minutes before we went on the air. He arrived that day."

"But he just always delivers, and he's Kanye," he added.

Soon after his recorded rant, West continued on with his show, performing his songs "Ultralight Beam," "Low Lights," and "Highlights" in front of the audience.