Last week, a new documentary about Kanye West was released in theaters.
The film has generated controversy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its shocking portrayal of West’s mental health issues.
But the most intense criticism of In Whose Name? has to do with an unexpected cameo by the late Charlie Kirk.
As you’re surely aware by now, Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Director Nico Ballestros filmed the documentary from 2019 to 2024, and it features a scene in which West sits down with Kirk and fellow right-wing pundit Candace Owens.
Kirk is mostly silent as West and Owens engage in a friendly back-and-forth about cultural and political issues.
But even though there’s nothing unflattering about his appearance in the scene, sources close to Kirk’s family have slammed the filmmakers for their “disrespectful and cruel” behavior.
Charlie Kirk loved ones accuse Kanye of ‘exploiting’ slain pundit
“Charlie is gone, and to drag him into Kanye’s world of controversies like this is shameless. They feel the filmmakers are exploiting his memory for headlines,” the insider tells Radar Online.
“It was a private meeting between Charlie and Kanye that had nothing to do with the rapper’s controversies, and now his name is being splashed everywhere in connection with Charlie.”
Sources close to Ballestros say the filmmaker “stands by” his decision to include the Kirk footage in the completed film.
The filmmaker — who was just 19 when he began filming candid moments in Kanye’s life — has been battling back amid criticism that In Whose Name? is exploitative and insensitive to the people who appear on screen.
“I didn’t make this to tell a story of descent or unraveling,” Ballesteros has said about the film.
“I made it to tell a beautiful, deep story of an American figure,” he continued, adding:
We live in such a headline-based society, so I believe this is the body text underneath those headlines. I’m not trying to persuade anyone. I want it to be like a Rorschach test.”
The Kirk controversy is somewhat surprising, as Charlie obviously consented to be featured in the film while he was alive.
But it’s understandable that in the wake of Kirk’s shocking death, his family might not wish to see him publicly associated with a figure as controversial as Kanye, who proclaimed himself a Nazi just a few months ago.
Of course, their protests are likely to fall on deaf ears. In Whose Name? has already been released to the public, and it’s unlikely that it will be altered now.