He's at it again, and this time, Kanye West has been banned from an A-list water taxi company in Venice.
ADVERTISEMENTVenetians are furious, and it’s not because of a particularly naff entry in this year’s Mostra Competition line-up...
Controversial rapper / controversy magnet Kanye ‘Ye’ West and his partner Bianca Censori have been reportedly “banned for life” from a Venice water taxi company after being accused of committing a lewd act.
The incident took place when Ye was photographed with his pants down during a canal boat ride, leading to criticisms of indecent exposure. While it initially seemed like an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction, photos and videos online showing bare buttocks and Ye holding his partner’s head near his lap have led to speculation that she was performing a public sex act on him.
Following the release of the compromising photos last week, the boat company Venezia Turismo Motoscafi issued a statement on 4 September, declaring that the couple are indefinitely banned from using the company’s services – which is a snag in Venice, as the A-list company is known for its celeb clients, and ordinary vaporetto boats get crowded. And we can’t imagine the happy couple wanting to squish in with the rest of us.
Not in my boat yard
In a statement to the British outlet Independent, a spokesperson for Venezia Turismo Motascafi said that it was “completely unaware” of the incident and the famous pair would have been kicked off the boat if the driver had noticed their public exposure.
“The driver had to keep a lookout for traffic and did not see these obscenities,” the statement read. “If this had happened, he would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority.”
The Italian rental company noted that “a third person on board the taxi” who was riding with Ye and Censori had “obstructed the captain’s view” to the back of the boat.
“We completely dissociate ourselves from such acts and behaviour. Mr. West and his wife will certainly no longer be welcome on board our company’s boats.”
This ban is not the first in recent times, as Bianca Censori has recently sparked controversy in Italy due to her wardrobe choices. Last month, Italian locals complained to the police that the 28-year-old was walking around in public “virtually naked”.
It’s unclear whether Censori was penalized for being too scantily clad, but the Italian Constitutional Court states that a fine from €5,000 to €10,000 can be issued for “public indecency.”
Ye was first seen in public with Censori, an architectural designer who works for his company Yeezy, earlier this year. It was reported that the pair had wed in a non-legally binding ceremony just a few months after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalised.
