Kanye West appeared so genuinely offended -- and Jimmy Kimmel so sincerely apologetic -- at the start of Wednesday night's meeting on the late-night show, their demeanors immediately dispelled some speculation that the "rap feud" was an elaborate hoax.
West's ire stemmed from one of Kimmel's video spoofs, in which children reenacted the rapper's recent interview with BBC1.
"I really felt bad about all this stuff, I did," Kimmel said after greeting the 36-year-old performer, just weeks after West had written a series of all-caps tweets criticizing the comedian's decision to "SPOOF IN ANY WAY THE FIRST PIECE OF HONEST MEDIA IN YEARS."
Joking that he just likes to see kids curse, Kimmel said he didn't mean to trivialize West's stunts.
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West admitted that he had initially responded so angrily to the spoof because he felt like he knew Kimmel, and was hurt that the late-night host didn't take him seriously as an artist. He said he thought Kimmel would understand when he complains about being "treated like a zoo animal."
"Some of these things are hurtful and the truth is important," Kimmel said back. "But a lot of times, I think you bring it on yourself -- this misunderstanding about you."
"A lot of people think you are a jerk. I often in my own personal conversations say 'No. I know this guy. He is not a jerk,'" Kimmel added, sharing a photo of his father posing beside a smiling West.
“For me, you know, I’m a creative genius,” the rapper said, acknowledging that some people might find that kind of confidence off-putting. "I know you’re not supposed to say that about yourself. And I say things the wrong way a lot of times but my intention is always positive.”
"A lot of people think they're geniuses and nobody says it because it's weird to say it, but it is more certainly more honest to say [it]," Kimmel said of West's claim.
"For me to say I wasn't a genius -- I would just be lying to you and to myself," West said to laughs and cheers from the audience.
West went on to say that he doesn't care about "bowing down" to media personalities so that people will like him, choosing to focus instead on his art, his creativity and his family. He also mused about racism in fashion ("There's no black guy at the end of the runway, in all honesty.") classism, materialism and celebrity in a lengthy but memorable monologue that echoed some of his sentiments from the BBC interview that started it all.
The interview went on so long that the show bumped musical guests Arctic Monkeys and ABC's YouTube channel posted it in several portions. You can them below:
