What did Kanye West say? Mike Myers' 2005 incident explored as SNL spoofs an infamous moment

Mike Myers just reunited with Kanye West, but this time in a Saturday Night Live parody. During a recent SNL sketch, comedian Kenan Thompson spoofed Ye and had an awkward elevator interaction with the Austin Powers star. The skit also featured a callback to the Donda rapper’s one of the most controversial on-air moments.

In 2005, Mike Myers and Kanye West were presenting for A Concert for Hurricane Relief when the rapper called out George W. Bush. The Gold Digger artist unexpectedly criticized the 43rd US President, as he said,

“George Bush doesn't care about black people.”

The sudden remark from Kanye West left his co-presenter, Mike Myers, visibly stunned. As the Shrek star glanced over Ye, the camera switched to Chris Tucker. The Rush Hour actor also seemed shocked by the on-air comment, but maintained his composure and continued speaking. Myers spoke about the controversial moment during a 2014 interview and lauded Kanye West,

“To have the emphasis on the look on my face versus the fact that somebody spoke truth to power at a time when somebody needed to speak? I’m very proud to have been next to him.”

Before the Stronger rapper delivered his unscripted “George Bush” remark, he had already called out the media for its coverage of Black people.

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Kanye West had already gone off-script before he called out George Bush

Ye’s comments about the then-US President became controversial and a much-talked-about pop culture moment. Moments before he lambasted Bush, West had seemingly deviated from his presentation script. When Mike Myers started by speaking about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Ye took over and called out the media. The rapper said,

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food.' And, you know, it's been five days [waiting for the help] because most of the people are black.”

Kanye West continued,

“And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there.”

Ye encouraged the viewers to contribute and help, acknowledging the Red Cross’ efforts. He also criticized the government for the deployment of the National Guard in the Iraq War, while people in the US were suffering due to the natural disaster. Kanye West said,

“We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way—and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!”

Mike Myers continued to follow the script before Ye blurted out his unscripted remark criticizing George W. Bush on racial lines. The rapper appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Season 3, Episode 5, in September 2005, and defended his stance, saying (via People),

“People have lost their lives, lost their families. It's the least I could do to go up there and say something from my heart, to say something that's real.”

The US President, who left office in 2009, was interviewed by Matt Lauer for NBC the following year. Bush felt it was a disgusting moment for him and called it an “all-time low” in his book, Decision Points. He told Lauer,

“He called me a racist. And I didn’t appreciate it then. I don’t appreciate it now. It’s one thing to say, ‘I don’t appreciate the way he’s handled his business.’ It’s another thing to say, ‘This man’s a racist.’ I resent it, it’s not true.”

He added,

“My record was strong, I felt, when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And it was a disgusting moment.”

Kanye West later responded to Bush’s comments and claimed that he understood his stance, per Rap Radar. Ye talked to Devi Dev of Houston's 97.9 The Box and said,

“Well, I definitely can understand the way he feels, to be accused of being a racist in any way, because… the same thing happened to me, you know, where I got accused of being a racist.”

Kanye said,

“For both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America felt in that situation. You know, with him, it was a lack of compassion of him not rushing -- him not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans.”

Kanye West, who is in the news for different controversies, was recently spoofed in an SNL sketch featuring Mike Myers. The skit parodied an elevator conversation, with Kenan Thompson (portraying Ye) talking about the 2005 Hurricane Katrina telethon, Diddy, and more, while delivering a satire with real-life references.

The sketch also featured cameos from Scarlett Johansson and Marcello Hernández as Mike Myers’ fans.