Kanye 'Ye' West's BET Awards 2022 Appearance Sparks Criticism

Kanye "Ye" West is facing backlash anew, this time for his appearance at the BET Awards 2022, where he presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to his longtime friend and fellow rapper-producer Sean "Diddy" Combs.

West rarely makes public appearances these days and is masked up for most of them. Keeping up with the trend, he showed up at the awards show at Microsoft Theater Sunday wearing multiple layers of clothing that included a jacket with a hood, a baseball cap and gloves.

The "Donda" artist delivered a heartfelt speech before handing the award to Diddy, and viewers couldn't help but point out his labored breathing and uncomfortable body language, courtesy of his choice of clothing for the evening.

"Kanye dresses like he's someone special. Dude you're a music artist. Quit with the weird boots and the masks that you can barely breathe in. Act normal @kanyewest," a netizen wrote in a tweet.

"Kanye West was really breathing like Darth Vadar during the BET Awards," another viewer noted.

Meanwhile, another person tweeted, "Somebody give this man an inhaler or breathing machine #KanyeWest #BETAwards #CulturesBiggestNight."

The rapper-producer has maintained a low profile after his temporary suspension from Instagram in March for lashing out at Pete Davidson and taking digs at Kim Kardashian. He explained his hiatus in his emotional speech at the ceremony.

"I took a little hiatus. I said I wanted to just, like, declare myself legally dead for a year. I just want to be off the grid" West said, as per Top Hip Hop News. He then credited Diddy for deciding to appear at the award show, saying, "Puff is pretty persistent."

"Any of us in this room if Puff ever need us, we need to jump and be there. This man has been through [and] survived a lot of stuff and broke down a lot of doors so we can be standing... he broke down so many doors of classism, taste, swag. Puff, if I never told you I love you, you're my brother," he added.

"I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices," he said further, referring to his marriage and impending divorce with Kim Kardashian, according to People.

West finished off his speech with a laugh, before adding, "Thanks for that, Puff."