John Legend has said that Donald Trump is the reason why he and Kanye West aren’t as close friends any more.

The singer-songwriter said in a new interview that their political divisions proved to be too much to maintain their friendship as strongly following years of creative collaborations.

Legend told The Axe Files podcast: “[Kanye and I] aren’t friends as much as we used to be. I honestly think because we publicly disagreed on his running for office, his supporting Trump, I think it became too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly.”

West was one of the producers on Legend’s 2004 debut album ‘Get Lifted’ and released the record on his own GOOD Music label. The pair have collaborated numerous times.

Legend added that he couldn’t support West’s 2020 US presidential run: “I wasn’t alone in that, but, you know, he was not happy about that. And we really haven’t been close since.”

The musician added that despite their drifting friendship, he still respects West and admires his honesty.

“I think he’s been very open with who he is and his struggles with mental health,” Legend continued. “And he’s very real, honestly. So I think there’s not a lot about him that people don’t get… Like he’s been pretty upfront with his opinions, his struggles, all the things that he’s dealing with.”

Legends’ comments come months after he called for Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to be “de-platformed”, accusing the presenter of espousing a racist theory that the Buffalo mass shooting suspect allegedly posted online.

Ye, meanwhile, has claimed that Yeezy Day – August 2, the annual day in which Adidas releases some of its most anticipated Yeezy sneaker drops – was created by the sportswear brand without his personal approval.