Source: Rich Fury / Getty
Kanye West pulled out of the Coachella 2022 lineup three days ago to reportedly “get help,” according to Page Six, and R&B artist The Weeknd swooped right in to save the day. But per the outlet, the show’s promoters had no intention of paying the “Save Your Tears” singer anything close to Ye’s $8 million check. So The Weeknd told them to either save their tears, too, and fork over the money or find another headliner.
“The Weeknd came in at short notice to take Kanye’s top spot,” a source told Page Six. “But Phil Anschutz [who owns the Coachella Festival through AEG Live] wanted to hold on to Kanye’s money and pay The Weeknd far less, just a few million. The festival would pocket the rest.” (Ye was going to also receive a $500,000 production fee as well.)
Travis Scott was kicked off the annual festival last December after his “Astroworld 2021″ scandal, and Ye’s abrupt withdrawal left AEG Live scrambling for a suitable replacement to co-headline the event alongside house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia. The Weeknd’s style of music and live performance history (most notably his halftime show at Super Bowl LV) would make him a worthwhile fit for Coachella as well as keep the lineup diverse.
However, AEG Live and Anschutz expected The Weeknd to come save them for cheap. “Even after Coachella announced the new lineup on Wednesday,” the source added, “a deal wasn’t in place for The Weeknd, who threatened to pull out at an hour’s notice if he didn’t get the same deal as Kanye.”
But the hardball tactics allegedly didn’t work. “Finally, on Wednesday — faced with the prospect of a second headline act pulling out of Coachella at the last minute — Anschutz’s company caved and agreed to pay The Weeknd the same money,” the source concluded.
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None of the reps for Anschutz, The Weeknd, or Ye confirmed if any such back-and-forth actually took place. Another mole, however, told Page Six that Anschutz was hands-off regarding the whole matter and it was an AEG employee who was involved with it.
Someone who appears with the change to Coachella’s lineup, though, is Kendall Jenner. The 26-year-old socialite’s older half-sister, Kim Kardashian, is still reeling from her contentious divorce from West. And Kendall’s other sister, Kylie, is still working through her own relationship woes as she supports Travis Scott in the wake of his “Astrowold 2021′ tragedy. Kendall posted a “praying-hands emoji” on The Weeknd’s IG post confirming his addition as the festival’s closing act.
