Travis Scott addresses the absence of Amanda Lepore on Astroworld
“I have nothing but respect for the LGBTQ community.”
Travis Scott has addressed the controversy following the removal of model and trans icon Amanda Lepore from the artwork for his latest album, Astroworld.
The rapper took to Twitter to share that "he has nothing but respect for the LGBTQ community,” and that the whole ordeal was a "misunderstanding." Scott's statement comes days after he and photographer David LaChapelle faced online scrutiny after it was revealed that Lepore's image was removed from the final version of the album's artwork.
“I want to use my voice to make it clear that everyone on this planet is as equal and fucking awesome to the next," he wrote. "Me and LaChapelle set out [to] create images that I grew up watching him create for years that inspire me today.”
Though he doesn't get into the specifics of why her photo was removed, he agreed with Lepore's statement on Instagram in which she claimed she was removed because she upstaged everyone.
“Yo Amanda you did upstage everyone even me," he continued, before stating that he and LaChapelle put together a booklet that includes "all these images."
"Thank you for being a part of it," he concluded. "Sorry for the misunderstanding Love you guys and THANK YOU ALL!!! EVERY ONE IS WELCOME TO ASTROWORLD!"
Amanda Lepore responded to Travis Scott's statement on Instagram, stating that she has nothing but love for the rapper and David LaChapelle. You can see her response below.
On August 4 at 7:50 p.m., this post was updated to reflect the response made by Amanda Lepore.