Kanye West's former bodyguard says rapper had 'ridiculous' rules

Steve Stanulis talked about the time he worked as a bodyguard for Kanye West and remembers their unpleasant first meeting and the rapper's "ridiculous rules."

Stanulis shared what it was like working for the American rapper during an interview on the "Hollywood Raw" podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn. His first meeting with West was unpleasant and one that gave a bad impression on the bodyguard.

He said he met West during Fashion Week and met him at the studio. They then took the elevator and had a strained exchange about pressing the button.

"We get into the elevator and he says 'aren't you going to push what floor we are going to?' I was like 'I have no idea what floor, it's my first day.' So he starts ranting 'So you mean you didn't call ahead to find out where I'm supposed to be going?' I said 'no,'" Stanulis shared, and said West ranted until he gave him three options.

"So I said 'look, bro, we can do this one of three ways. One, you could tell me what button to press, and now I'll know. Two, you could press the button, and I'll see which one you press so I'll know. Or three, you can sit in here all day and tell me how important your time is and we are not going to go anywhere.' Again, that was our first interaction," the bodyguard said and revealed that West went for the first option.

Stanulis, whose clients also included Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio, recalled that the "Jesus Walks" singer had "some ridiculous rules" which included him staying 10 paces behind. He said this was counterproductive since by the time he tries to prevent something from happening to the rapper, it would be too late.

He also shared his thoughts on why the paparazzi are always one step ahead of West and his wife Kim Kardashian. He believes that someone tips them off about their location because it cannot be "coincidental that wherever we are, they're always there."

Stanulis' work with West was memorable but not for the right reasons. He said the rapper is among his "least favourite people to work with over the course of time," but he respects him for being a hard worker.