The Weeknd Threatened To Leave Coachella Over Pay Dispute: Reports

INDIO, CA — The Weeknd reportedly threatened to pull out of Coachella if he wasn’t paid Kanye West’s $8.5 million paycheck, according to Page Six.

On Wednesday, festival organizers announced that The Weeknd, a 32-year-old Canadian R&B and electronica artist, would fill some of West’s headlining slots after he quit less than two weeks before the show.

RELATED: The Weeknd, Swedish House Mafia To Step In For Kanye West At Coachella

A source told Page Six that before Wednesday that Phil Anschutz, the billionaire who owns Coachella festival wanted to pay The Weeknd several million less than West was going to be paid.

“The Weeknd came in at short notice to take Kanye’s top spot,” the source said.
But Phil Anschutz wanted to hold on to Kanye’s money and pay The Weeknd far less, just a few million. The festival would pocket the rest.”

According to the source, a deal wasn’t in place for The Weeknd even after he was announced as the replacement. The artist reportedly “threatened to pull out at a moment’s notice if he didn’t get the same deal as Kanye.”

“Finally, on Wednesday — faced with the prospect of a second headline act pulling out of Coachella at the last minute — Anschutz’s company caved and agreed to pay The Weeknd the same money,” the source said.

On April 4, a source told Page Six that West - who legally changed his name to Ye - was pulling out of the festival he was expected to headline the closing night of each weekend, on April 17 and 24.
No official reason was provided, though the source told Page Six he was doing it for his “mental health.”

West had threatened to pull out of Coachella is fellow performer Billie Eilish did not apologize to rapper Travis Scott, whom West planned to bring on stage. West alleged Eilish "dissed" Scott in a since-deleted Feb. 10 Instagram post, according to Billboard.

It's speculated that Eilish was criticizing Scott for events that unfolded Nov. 5 at the 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. A fatal crowd-crush occurred during that first night of the festival. Eight people died that night and two more died in the hospital over the following days. The event was founded by Scott.

In the weeks leading up to the festival, a Change.org petition called for West to be removed from the festival lineup in light of his reported behavior toward ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, Pete Davidson. The petition garnered more than 49,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning.

"We have watched Kanye harass, manipulate, and hurt Kim, Pete, and others for over a year now," the petition claims. "No one seems to want to stand up to him, and the ones that do, he puts under fire as well. Most recently, he has been threatening actual bodily harm on others. This is ridiculous that he is allowed to freely do this. Coachella (along with other brand names that are still working with him) should be ashamed of themselves and should not be giving him any more of a platform."

West was banned from Instagram in March for 24 hours after calling “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah a racial slur after he defended West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. A Meta spokesperson told Teen Vogue that his posts violated policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment.

West was also pulled from the Grammys 2022 performance lineup, reportedly due to concerns about his interactions with Daily Show host Trevor Noah.