"There is a thing called TMI"— Internet reacts as Kanye West claims he had relations with his male cousin as a minor

Kanye West is once again facing heavy criticism after sharing an explicit and deeply personal confession on X (formerly Twitter), claiming he had a s*xual relationship with his male cousin during their childhood. The post is part of a teaser for his new song Cousins, and immediately triggered a wave of concern and disbelief online.

The 47-year-old rapper wrote:

"This song is called COUSINS about my cousin that's locked in jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few years after I told him we wouldn't 'look at dirty magazines together' anymore."

"Perhaps in my self centered mess I felt it was my fault that I showed him those dirty magazines when he was 6 and then we acted out what we saw." "My name is Ye and I s*cked my cousins d–k till I was 14. Tweet sent."

The song's lyrics repeat graphic descriptions of the alleged childhood acts and the confusion surrounding them. West also raps:

"Then we start reenacting everything that we had seen / That's when I gave my cousin head."

Fans quickly reacted on X, with many saying the content was disturbing and not appropriate for public sharing, especially in the form of a music release.

"There is a thing called TMI. I get you laying that on a close friend and healing, but dude, we didn't need to know all that," one X user commented.

"Now you need to expose who molested you?" another user wrote.

"You need to understand how Kanye works, and his marketing genius. I'm not discounting the trauma of this but he uses shock to drive his marketing campaigns," an X user noted.

Reactions ranged from concern and discomfort to support and analysis, with some users criticizing Kanye West for oversharing, while others defended his vulnerability and called for a deeper understanding of his trauma.

"Realest human being on earth," an X user remarked.

"Idk how anyone could laugh at this. This is childhood trauma not to be taken lightly, I love you dude and I appreciate your vulnerability always," an X user said.

"Ye admits to something extremely serious and personal and people just take it as a joke/being crazy Unsurprising that no one takes stuff like this seriously, and then wonder why he does/says the things he does/says," another X user wrote.

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Kanye West's past remarks and family references resurface amid backlash over Cousins track

Internet reacts as Kanye West claims he had relations with his male cousin as a minor( image via @@kanyewest/X)

The cousin mentioned in the track is believed to be the same relative Kanye West referenced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018. At the time, he said,

"My cousin is locked up for murder, and I love him."

Kim Kardashian, Ye's ex-wife, also mentioned this relative during a 2020 meeting with prison reform advocate Marc M. Howard, explaining that the cousin had been given a double life sentence for a murder he committed at 17, as stated by Page Six.

In his Monday X post, Kanye West claimed he found "dirty magazines” in his late mother Donda West's closet, alleging they were different from the Playboy magazines his father owned.

In recent weeks, Ye has also made other controversial statements, including calling his mother a lesbian and saying he never wanted kids with Kim Kardashian. The couple shares four children and divorced in 2022, as reported by the Daily News on March 31, 2025.

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Kanye West previously announced in a tweet that his next album would be titled Cuck, but no official release date has been confirmed. It is unclear whether Cousins will be included on the final tracklist.