*TMZ aired Kanye West‘s explosive 2018 declaration that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice,” but viewers weren’t shown another part of the same appearance in which the rapper allegedly praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis. Now, a former longtime TMZ employee says founder Harvey Levin told him he had the Hitler material cut.
Evan Rosenblum, who worked at TMZ for 15 years, made the allegation in a new GQ investigation examining the celebrity outlet as it expands into political coverage.
“Earlier in that interview, Kanye went off about Hitler and the Nazis and started talking about his love for Hitler and how Hitler was misunderstood,” Rosenblum told GQ.
After the taping, Rosenblum alleges, Levin approached him and said he’d had “all that stuff cut out.”
Kanye West stirs up the TMZ newsroom over TRUMP, SLAVERY and FREE THOUGHT. There's A LOT more that went down … and the fireworks are exploding on @TMZLive today. Check your local listings for show times. pic.twitter.com/jwVsJCMPiq
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 1, 2018
Scroll to continue reading
What TMZ Viewers Never Saw
West’s May 2018 TMZ appearance became notorious for the comments TMZ did air. His slavery remark prompted then-TMZ staffer Van Lathan to confront him in the newsroom.
EURweb covered Lathan’s reaction to West at the time and later reported West’s attempt to explain the slavery controversy.
The existence of West’s Hitler remarks isn’t a new 2026 revelation. Lathan disclosed in 2022 that West had also expressed admiration for Hitler and Nazis during the 2018 visit and that those comments didn’t make the broadcast. CNN subsequently reported that a person present during the encounter confirmed West had favorably referenced Hitler.
What Rosenblum’s account adds is significant: he specifically attributes the decision to remove the material to Levin.
Why the Alleged Editing Decision Matters
News organizations routinely edit interviews. The larger issue is what TMZ allegedly chose to leave out while broadcasting another inflammatory statement from the same appearance.
West’s slavery comments became international news in 2018. His alleged Hitler praise remained unseen, only taking on greater significance years later as West began making explicitly antisemitic statements in public.
GQ also places Rosenblum’s allegation within a broader examination of the relationship between TMZ’s editorial discretion and its extraordinary celebrity access.
The magazine reports that Levin paid $80,000 in 2011 to acquire footage of a young Justin Bieber using a racial slur but shelved it rather than immediately publishing it. A former employee told GQ he believed Levin considered withholding the footage “the ethical thing to do.” The material was eventually reported elsewhere before TMZ published it.
GQ also points to TMZ’s acquisition of 2023 footage showing UFC chief Dana White in a physical altercation with his wife. The footage arrived alongside a sit-down interview with Levin, while TMZ has continued receiving UFC exclusives.
GQ’s broader reporting says TMZ’s approach has at times enabled the outlet to report on famous and powerful people while preserving access to them.
The Question GQ’s Reporting Raises
None of that establishes why Levin allegedly removed West’s Hitler comments.
There is no verified evidence that Levin did so to protect West, maintain TMZ’s access to him or conceal his views. Rosenblum alleges who made the editing decision, not why it was made. Levin declined GQ’s requests for an interview, while an attorney representing him responded to other issues raised in the magazine’s investigation. Mediaite reported that TMZ did not immediately respond to its request for comment about Rosenblum’s specific allegation.
Still, the contrast is difficult to ignore: TMZ made West’s slavery statement part of the public record while his alleged Hitler praise from the same appearance remained on the cutting-room floor.
Four years later, West’s admiration for Hitler was no longer private. In December 2022, he publicly declared, “I like Hitler,” during his appearance on Alex Jones’ “Infowars.”
If Rosenblum’s account is accurate, TMZ encountered that side of West in 2018. The public simply didn’t see it.
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
RELATED NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Kanye West Announces He’s Not a Nazi After Promoting Hitler and Swastika Shirt
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
