John Legend opens up on where his friendship really stands with Kanye West

American singer-songwriter John Legend and rapper Kanye West aren't as good friends as they used to be.

According to E!News, in a new interview with UK newspaper 'The Sunday Times', Legend opened up about how his relationship with 'Jesus Is King' rapper has dissolved in recent years.

In 2018, West took a public stance supporting President Donald Trump, to which Legend asked him to reconsider. In response, West tweeted out screenshots of the friends' private text messages.

In the wake of the interaction, there have been ups and downs in their public discourse, often leaving Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen in the middle.

After a year of the incident, the 'All of Me' singer told Vty Fair: "I'm not trying to disown Kanye because I still love him and love everything we've done together creatively. But we were never the closest of friends."

However, they were close enough that Legend performed at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's wedding in 2014. Legend has also attributed much of his musical success to his relationship with West, saying the then-producer was instrumental in securing his early record deals.

Legend currently says that while he and West aren't best friends, their political disagreements aren't exactly to blame.

Legend told 'The Sunday Times' on Saturday: "I don't think we're lesser friends because of the Trump thing. I just think we're doing our own thing. He's up in Wyoming. I'm here in LA. We've both got growing families and I no longer have a formal business relationship with him as an artist. So, I think it's just part of the natural cycle of life."

Legend did reiterate that they still don't see eye-to-eye on the president, referencing a recent GQ interview in which West once again vocalised his support for Donald Trump, saying, "We know who I'm voting for!"

In 2019, Trump tweeted about Legend calling him a "boring musician" and Teigen his "filthy-mouthed wife."

Legend continued: "Obviously we disagreed on the Trump thing and we still do apparently. But what I've always said is, we never talked about politics before. It was never a part of our interaction. Our interaction was almost always about creativity and music. He's also in a different place musically. He's doing gospel music. That's what he's focused on right now, designing his clothes, so we're in different places."

Legend when asked if he would consider attending one of West's Sunday Service performances, the 'Tonight' singer said he was open to the idea.

The 'Love Me Now' crooner also addressed the disdain the president has for the couple, specifically his wife. Legend said, "He has a problem with strong women. He definitely has more ire toward Chrissy. She's a woman who would dare talk back to him and not revere him. He's threatened by that."

The 'Ordinary People' singer confirmed that he gets concerned for his partner when spatting with Trump, but ultimately believes in her strength and intelligence.

"I know she's much sharper than him and funnier. He can't hang with her. She doesn't need my protection. She will destroy him," said Legend.

( With inputs from ANI )