Kanye Episode.

Kanye West’s recent behavior consisted of him crying about how he wanted to abort his first child. He also made odd remarks regarding Harriet Tubman at his first presidential campaign rally. This is not the first time West went on a rant onstage. In 2016, he was hospitalized after his rant slamming Beyonce and Jay-Z. This time the rants are directed at the Kardashian and Jenner family. Kanye accused his wife, Kim Kardashian and mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, of “trying to lock him up”  like the movie “Get Out.”

The family wants to get Kanye into treatment, but feels powerless. Kanye stated they wanted to “51/50 me.” 51/50 is referring to the California welfare code. According to the code, “people who may be a danger to themselves can be placed in an involuntary hold.” In 2016, Kanye was held involuntary for a little over a week. According to Rolling Stone, Kanye hadn’t slept in about a week’ and was exhibiting aggressive and terrifying outbursts. However, Kanye was never put under any kind of conservatorship.
A conservatorship is a court case where a judge appoints a responsible person or organization (called the “conservator”) to care for another adult (called the “conservatee”) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances. California use the term conservatorship but in other states it is called a legal guardianship. Given the nature of the concerning tweets; it is unclear whether Kim or other family members plan to pursue a conservatorship for Kanye. In 2008, Artist, Britney Spears had a public breakdown that landed her under a conservatorship.
Conservatorship is considered the last option. “The conservatorship must be the only way to meet the person’s needs. If there is another way, an alternative to the conservatorship, the court may deny your petition. The process for adult conservatorships in California is complex and long. Someone has to start the conservatorship, this could be the proposed conservator, spouse, relative, local agency, etc. Once the paperwork is filed with the court, the process starts. Then a petition needs to done explaining the reason for the conservatorship and why the alternatives are not available for this case. The petition is filed and the petitioner must have someone serve the proposed conservatee and mail a written notice about the court hearing. An investigator wil be appointed by the court to conduct an investigation. The court investigator will talk to the proposed conservatee and others who are familiar with the proposed conservatee’s condition. Upon the completion of the investigation, a hearing is held which the proposed conservatee attends unless his/her condition prevents them. As long as notice was proper and the conservatee had an opportunity to obtain a lawyer, the judge will make a decision. If the judge grants the petition, the judge will file an order appointing the conservator. The conservator has a duty to report to the court for reviews and meet with the court investigator.
As mention above, Britney Spears was placed under conservatorship in California, by her father. The recent episode of Kanye has sparked demands from fans to free Britney Spears of her conservatorship as people compare the two artists. As for Kanye, it is unlikely that he will be under a conservatorship, but may be held involuntary again. Wife, Kim Kardashian, has broken her silence on her husband’s latest twitter rant by addressing Kanye’s bi-polar disorder. Kim stated, “I am very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.” “ Kim ended her message by asking fans for compassion and empathy and thanked everyone who expressed concern for West’s wellbeing.”

However, some people are not convinced that Kanye is having an episode. Some people think this was a publicity stunt because his final tweet was about dropping his “Donda album.”
What are your thoughts on Kanye West’s recent Twitter rant? Do you believe this was a publicity stunt?