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Kanye West crashes American Idol auditions as show ramps up to final season

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kanye west auditions for american idol
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What does one do after performing for the President of the United States? Audition for American Idol, of course.

Kanye West and wife Kim Kardashian West stopped by the San Francisco audition location, where judges were listening to hundreds of mostly-normals in hopes of discovering the 15th and final American Idol superstar. As one might guess, West wasn’t on that list, apparently dropping by the set (and cutting in line) unannounced.

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It was a busy day for the musician, who had just performed for Barack Obama at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser, where Obama offered him a bit of humorous political advice regarding the rapper’s announcement of his 2020 presidential bid.

Regardless of his potential political aspirations, one thing the star seems to inherently understand is the concept of free publicity. That goes double for his social media-superstar wife, who posted this photo of the stunt on her Instagram account over the weekend.

SURPRISE!

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

The rapper reportedly broke into the audition room to perform an a capella version of his 2005 hit Gold Digger — an unusual choice for the typically sing-song TV show, but one that does have lyrics calling out Idol judge Jennifer Lopez in which West rhymes about a particularly famed portion of her anatomy. It’s a ten-year-old innuendo he can apparently still pull off, even with his pregnant wife standing just outside the room.

Yeezus fans can rest easy about the results: The superstar got his golden ticket (duh), and — should he desire to start his career over — would be more than welcome at the famed Hollywood stage of Idol auditions.

Going into its 15th year, American Idol has launched the careers of many modern pop stars, including such big names as Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and the original Idol, Kelly Clarkson. Winners have earned a combined 13 Grammy awards, and the Simon Cowell-developed series has also spawned a throng of copycat shows looking for dancers, live performers, and vocalists.

Fox announced this would be the final season of the show in May, saying that the upcoming season will be a special celebration of the show’s 15 years, with added celebrity appearances as guest judges, guest instructors, and, apparently, one celebrity cast mate.

American Idol viewership has slumped in recent years, so the ratings boost that comes via the combined Kim/Kanye fanbases can’t hurt, and it will be a shock if Fox doesn’t air the audition tape in full when the show debuts in January.

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Parker Hall
Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
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