Bodyguard to the stars Steve Stanulis has protected several big name stars during his time working their security, but his stories about working for Kanye West are legendary. Stanulis recalled a time that he wound up picking West up off the side of the road after the rapper got into a fight. He also detailed the strange rules West required him to follow.
The former bodyguard turned director was a guest on the Hollywood Raw podcast, where he divulged behind-the-scenes details about celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and, of course, Kanye West. Stanulis first started working for West during a fashion week as a temporary member of the rapper’s security detail. The two didn’t exactly hit it off right away.
Stanulis was escorting West to a studio and they hopped on an elevator. West became a bit huffy and asked why Stanulis didn’t hit the button for the floor, but since the bodyguard was new, he wasn’t sure which button to hit. West chewed him out for a bit, but Stanulis wasn’t intimidated by the world famous rapper.
Instead, he gave West three options: to hit the button himself, to tell Stanulis which button to hit, or they could just stand there and West could continue berating him. West chose the first option, which Stanulis explained was the rapper’s usual choice when the bodyguard used this tactic to diffuse West’s sour moods.
This tactic came in handy later down the road. Stanulis actually made a good impression on West during his temporary duties, and Stanulis was asked to come on full time. One night, Stanulis recalled, he got a call from a cop he used to work with. The cop said, “Kanye got mad, I guess he had a fight, and he’s walking down the westside highway. Can you pick him up?”
Stanulis agreed, though since it wasn’t his working hours, all he had was the family Toyota, and the backseat was partially filled with baby seats. He eventually came across West, who was walking right where the officer said he was, and he had a friend with him. Stanulis called out to West, telling him to get in the car. West obeys and climbs in the front before saying, “You gotta move the baby seats.”
Stanulis wasn’t having that. “I’m like, ‘Bro…’ It was a cold winter day. I’m like, ‘Bro, we can do this three ways. A: You can get in the car, and your friend can sit between the baby seats. Two, you can keep walking and I’ll meet you wherever you go, cause I’m not even working yet. Or three, have your friend move Elmo and get in the car.’ And they got in the car.” There were way more stories included in the podcast, but this particular story was almost too outrageous to be believed.
Speaking of unbelievable, since Kanye West is married to a famous woman, from one of the most famous families in the world, he’s often featured in the tabloids and targeted by false rumors. Just this month, Life & Style claimed West was leaving Kim Kardashian and had taken the couples’ four kids and fled to Wyoming. Gossip Cop proved this rumor false. Just a week later, that outlet’s sister publication, Star, reported that Kardashian and West were taking a trial separation. This report was also untrue, Gossip Cop discovered. There are plenty of wild stories about this famous duo, there’s literally no need to make one up.