Kanye West was a difficult boss who made outrageous demands, according to a former bodyguard. Photo: AFP
Kanye West was a difficult boss who made outrageous demands, according to a former bodyguard whose documentary, 15 Days With Kanye” will debut at the NYC International Film Festival on Jan19.
Steve Stanulis, a former NYPD cop and Chippendale dancer, said the first day he worked for West in 2016 they got into an elevator at a music studio.
“He’s waiting for me to press a button, and starts having a tantrum,” Stanulis said.
“I told him there are three options. You can tell me which button to press. You can press the button yourself. Or we can sit here all night and you can tell me how important you are.”
They worked it out.
But a couple days later as they were walking on the street, “I see a big 6-foot-5 (195cm) guy approaching,” said Stanulis. “I put my hand on Kanye’s shoulder. He said, ‘Don’t you ever get in my shot again. You have to stay 10 paces behind me.’”
Stanulis also had trouble hiring body guards. “Kanye didn’t like guys to wear patterned shirts. He would fire them,” Stanulis said.
West finally fired Stanulis after he caught the ex-cop talking to his then-wife Kim Kardashian.
“I was owed US$3,800. I told him, ‘If you don’t pay me, There’s a ton of people who want to talk to me.’”
Stanulis sold interviews to tabloid TV shows. “A hundred grand later, I didn’t give a damn. The very next day I got paid.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
