Jaden Smith walks away mid-question when Kanye West’s name gets dropped

Jaden Smith knows how to set boundaries. In an awkward interaction, Jaden Smith walked away mid-question, as soon as Kanye West’s name was mentioned. In the conversation, the rapper through his association with footwear designer Steven Smith, who worked with West on Yeezy for eight years before he was fired in 2024.In an Instagram video shared by Complex, the Journalist asks Jaden, “I see that you're working with Steven Smith, who designed Yeezy footwear with Ye." After a brief pause, Hardeman-Webb continued, "What are y'all cooking up?" Jaden, who was looking down before, glanced up and walked away as soon as Kanye West was mentioned. The viral moment comes almost one month after West publicly addressed his history of making antisemitic remarks. West apologized in an open letter titled "To Those I've Hurt," which appeared as a full-page advertisement (paid for by his Yeezy brand) on The Wall Street Journal. In the letter, West claimed bipolar disorder caused his erratic behavior and turned to antisemitism.West was a longtime collaborator of Steven's before firing him. The designer told Fast Company at the time of his firing in 2024 that he had felt West "lost his mind," adding, "The whole of Yeezy is circling the drain and this is just part of it. He has surrounded himself with toxic, C-grade losers.”Meanwhile, Jaden was named a Christian Louboutin creative director in September 2025. A press release revealed that he would "oversee the creation of four collections annually across men’s shoes, leather goods, and accessories," in addition to helping develop the brand's visual and emotional identity across marketing campaigns, corresponding events and experiences.