Bev Turner was joined in the GB News studio today by her daughter, Kiki, to give a “teen's eye view” on the decision to ban Kanye West from entering the UK.
The controversial US rapper was due to headline Wireless festival, but was quickly barred from entry into the country on the back of previous antisemitic outbursts and offensive comments.
Despite issuing a statement laying out his plans to make amends, Mr West’s presence in the UK was deemed not “conducive to public good".
The move left Kiki, a die-hard fan of the hip-hop artist, now seeking a refund after she had secured tickets to attend the festival.
“We spent three hours in the morning trying to get tickets, with 25,000 people ahead of me and my best friend in the queue,” she told Bev and Andrew Pierce.
Kiki said the now-banned performance was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” before the UK government opted to block the rapper from reaching the UK.
“He hasn't come to the UK in 14 years. He's just done three shows in America, and everyone's watching his videos on social media, thinking, 'oh my gosh, this is crazy'", she said.
“I was so excited to go to this concert. And then it got cancelled because of some things that he said."
Bev Turner was joined in the GB New studio by her daughter, Kiki, to give a 'teen's eye view' on the Kanye West ban
|GB NEWS
Kiki stressed that she did not agree with anything Mr West had said during his explosive rants but acknowledged his attempts to apologise.
“He went to very high Jewish rabbis in New York. He tried to come to the rabbis here, and they said they'd speak to him if he cancelled and pulled out of the show. So I don't know whether they will speak to him.”
Bev and Andrew also highlighted the importance of mental health issues to younger generations, which Mr West has previously said had influenced his tirades.
“He's very mentally ill. He was wrongly diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018 and then again in 2025. It was autism, very strong autism," Kiki said.
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Mr West’s presence in the UK was deemed to be not 'conducive to public good'
|GETTY
“He shouldn't have been on social media. There should have been someone saying, 'Kanye. Stop tweeting all this horrible stuff'."
Explaining why the rapper maintains his popularity, Kiki said that he “goes over generations”.
“His first album was released in 2004, and then he's been releasing albums up until literally last week, he released an album.
“Everybody will know at least one of his songs. He has 775 million monthly listeners.
Kiki explained the enduring appeal of Kanye West to Andrew and Bev
|GB NEWS
“He's the 16th most-streamed artist in the world, under Taylor Swift and Drake.”
Andrew raised the question of misogyny and homophobia in rap music generally, which Kiki was keen to address.
She explained that Mr West’s music was “different to other rappers”.
Kiki revealed that Mr West’s music was the only rap music that Bev allows her to play in the car “because his songs aren't that outrageous”.