Kanye West, who was scheduled to headline the Coachella music festival on Sundays, April 17th and 24th, has pulled out, as was reported by TMZ and later confirmed by Billboard. Her representatives have not yet provided a reason for her withdrawal, nor has the festival commented on the matter. 

Although the reasons remain unclear, West suggested in February that he would cancel his performance if fellow billmate Billie Eilish did not apologize to Travis Scott. West believed Eilish had insulted Scott when she paused a show to help a fan not long after the Astroworld tragedy. Eilish said she "literally never said anything about Travis" and that she was "just helping a fan."

Kanye wrote in a February 10th an Instagram post that was later deleted, "Come on Billie, we love you. Please apologize to Trav and the families of the people who lost their lives. No one intended for this to happen. Trav had no idea what was going on when he was on stage and was very hurt by what happened, and yes Trav will be with me at Coachella, but now I need Billie to apologize before I perform". 

Kim Kardashian Scandals 

In addition to his non-participation during Coachella this year, West has been surrounded by scandals over his split with celebrity influencer Kim Kardashian and this breakup influenced his departure from the festival. 

Recently, a Change.org petition called for West's removal from the lineup due to his recent public statements towards his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson. The petition, which has nearly 50,000 signatures, reads, "We've watched Kanye harass, manipulate and hurt Kim, Pete and others for over a year. No one seems to want to stand up to him, and those who do, he puts them under fire as well. Recently, he has threatened to hurt others. It is ridiculous that he is allowed to do this freely. Coachella (along with other brands that continue to work with him) should be ashamed of themselves and should not give him any more airplay." 

Coachella will be held the weekends of April 15-17 and April 22-24.