Kid Cudi stars in HBO’s new military base-set series We Are Who We Are, but his character is the polar opposite of Cudi in real life.
In the show, Cudi plays a MAGA hat-wearing Donald Trump supporter named Richard Poythress, which originally caused some concern for the Kids See Ghost rapper due to his alignment with Kanye West. During a recent interview with Esquire magazine, Cudi made his feelings about Trump — and Ye’s previous support of Trump — perfectly clear.
“I thought some people would be foolish about it and be like, ‘Oh, he must’ve talked to Kanye’ or ‘Kanye must’ve got to him’ or some shit like that,” Cudi explained. “I think he knows where I stand, and I think he doesn’t bring it up to me. We just don’t talk about it. I totally disagree with it; I think he knows that. And if he doesn’t know, he knows now.”
Despite Kanye’s political affiliations, Cudi is ever-loyal to his longtime collaborator and friend.
“That’s my brother,” he said. “I’ll go on record: That’s my brother. I love him. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with everything he fucking says and he fucking does, you know?”
Kanye announced he was running in the 2020 presidential election on the Fourth of July. While speaking to Forbes in July, he essentially disavowed his allegiance to Trump, saying, “I’m taking the red hat off.”
But some people are convinced his presidential run is an attempt to steal votes from Democratic nominee Joe Biden to help Trump get re-elected, something Ye’s hasn’t exactly denied.
In a text exchange with Forbes last month, Ye was asked whether he intended to take votes away from Biden. At not one point did he deny it, rather he replied he was “walking … to win.” When told it he was basically running a spoiler campaign he couldn’t possibly win, Kanye replied: “I am not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.”
View this post on InstagramSEPT 14th on HBO
Meanwhile, Cudi is focused on We Are Who We Are, which also stars Chloë Sevigny, Jordan Kristine Seamón (who plays the daughter of Cudi’s character), Jack Dylan Grazer (It) and Alice Braga. Cudi’s previous HBO acting roles include How to Make It in America and Westworld. He also had a pivotal role in the Bill & Ted sequel Bill & Ted Face The Music earlier this year.
In August, Travis Scott confirmed he and Cudi were working on a joint album following the success of their collaborative single “THE SCOTTS,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Take a tour of the We Are Who We Are set below and read the full Esquire interview here.