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Kanye West's former bodyguard said the rapper was the 'neediest,' 'moodiest,' and 'worst tipper' of any celebrity he's worked with

May 15, 2020, 23:00 IST
Insider
Kanye West photographed in New York City on October 25, 2019.Gotham/GC Images
  • One of Kanye West's former bodyguards, Steve Stanulis, recently discussed his experience working with the rapper during an appearance on the "Hollywood Raw Podcast."
  • Stanulis said West was the "neediest," "moodiest," and "worst tipper" of any celebrity he's worked with.
  • He also said that West would get angry if Stanulis walked in front with paparazzi around, because then the bodyguard would be "in his shot."
  • "We don't have to be best friends," Stanulis said. "But if I'm there to protect you — if something happens and in some sort of way, I get hurt, or you're expecting me to do something like jump in front of you — you've got to have some level of respect."
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One of Kanye West's former bodyguards, Steve Stanulis, recently discussed his experience working with the rapper during an appearance on the "Hollywood Raw Podcast."

Stanulis, a retired NYPD police officer, was reportedly fired by West in 2016 — but had plenty of stories about West's apparent childishness.

Stanulis said West is incredibly stubborn and "you can't talk to the guy." He said he would often need to offer West three simple options and let the rapper pick one, just to complete a simple task like pushing an elevator button or getting into a car.

He also claimed West has "ridiculous rules" and would insist that bodyguards walk "10 paces behind him on a city street."

Steve Stanulis has worked as a bodyguard, a police officer, a Chippendales Dancer, and currently works as a director.Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

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There was one instance, Stanulis said, when West was preparing for a New York City fashion show and had rented out a studio space in SoHo. Paparazzi and fans were habitually camped outside.

"I don't know who's who. If it's somebody I don't recognize, I don't know what your intentions are. So, technically, I'm supposed to walk in front of you, to make sure you're OK," Stanulis explained. "But [West] got mad at me for being in his shot."

"Like, are you serious? He was worried about me being in his shot, you know, for either a TMZ video or Daily Mail or whatever. Instead of saying 'thank you,' he was mad at me for being in his shot."

"We don't have to be best friends. But if I'm there to protect you — if something happens and in some sort of way, I get hurt, or you're expecting me to do something like jump in front of you — you've got to have some level of respect," Stanulis said.

"You can't look at those guys as beneath you," he continued, referring to his fellow bodyguards. "'Cause you know they're the first f---ing guys you're going to look for when something happens. So what comes around goes around."

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Kanye West with one of his many bodyguards in 2016.Raymond Hall/GC Images

Hosts Dax Holt and Adam Glyn then asked Stanulis to play a game of "Name that Celeb," in which they offer a prompt and he chooses which celebrity he's worked with that best fits the description.

Stanulis named West as "the neediest celebrity," "the most moody," "the hardest worker," and "the worst tipper" at restaurants and other establishments.

Finally, they asked: "Who would you never work with again?"

Stanulis replied: "I hate answering the same question 15 times, but I think you guys know the answer to that one."

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For the record, he named Leonardo DiCaprio as "the nicest celebrity," Tobey Maguire as "the kindest," and Robert Downey Jr. as "the biggest partier."

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