No, Kanye West’s new, metal James Bond-inspired grills didn’t leave him toothless
Rapper Kanye West may be more bark than bite — but it seems he had some metalwork done on the latter.
The controversial “Vultures” rapper, who continues to face criticism for his antisemitic views, flaunted a pair of metal grills inspired by a James Bond villain on Wednesday. Ye posted a photo of his teeth encased in a shiny solid metal accessory to his Instagram story.
In addition to showing off the designer dentures, Ye shared a screenshot of a Google search for “james bond jaws,” a metal-mouthed villain portrayed by actor Richard Kiel in films “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker.”
On Wednesday, one outlet reported that the Grammy winner had his teeth removed to make way for the dentures, which reportedly cost $850,000. Beverly Hills-based celebrity dentist Thomas Connelly, who crafted the grill, denied the reports .
A new song called ‘Vultures,’ featuring Kanye West, Ty Dolla Sign and Lil Durk, premiered on a Chicago radio station on Friday.
“He did not have his teeth removed,” Connelly confirmed to Complex. “He still has a full dentition. Healthy and happy.”
On his Instagram page, Connelly shared photos of Ye’s new denture design. While some Instagram followers lauded the sleek grill, others poked fun at the “Tesla Grill.”
“If Tesla truck was a grill,” one user commented.
“Ye: u ever feel like chewing on a Tesla cybertruck,” wrote another follower, “Connelly: say no more fam.”
Ye unveiled his metal grill amid reports that he plans to release a 40-minute video apologizing, once again, for his antisemitic behavior and rants in recent years.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, apologized to the Jewish community (in Hebrew) for his antisemitic comments ahead of the release of his new ‘Vultures’ album.
The rapper began facing criticism in October 2022 during Paris Fashion Week when he was seen wearing a shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter.” Then on social media, he threatened to go “death con 3” on the Jewish community, prompting bans from Instagram and Twitter. He has since been reinstated on those platforms.
With his remarks, West’s career was on the rocks as he was dropped by agency CAA and from his deals with Adidas and Balenciaga. Despite the fallout, Ye doubled down on his antisemitic views during appearances on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and Alex Jones’ ”InfoWars.”
West did not leave controversy behind in 2022. In November 2023, he joined Chris Brown in Dubai for a surprise performance of his newest single, “Vultures,” which some listeners decried as antisemitic. In the song Ye raps, “How am I antisemitic? I just f— a Jewish b—.”
Kanye West performed onstage alongside his daughter North West. He also sparked controversy for wearing problematic KKK-like headwear.
Weeks after the Dubai performance, Ye released an apology to the Jewish community for his string of remarks.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” Ye said in a since-deleted December Instagram post written in Hebrew, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post. “I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.
“Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity,” he added.
Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
