The fact that her parents are using one of the world's biggest stages as their child's "end of the year school play" performance is top tier out of touch.

This nepo kid is singing a song called "I can't wait to be King" about a nepo lion prince, bragging how he's been born into royalty. It was a perfect fit. 🤣

as a violinist who has auditioned for orchestras several times in my life, the thought of practicing hours and hours seven days a week FOR MONTHS and then finding out after my audition that all that effort didn’t matter because the audition was FIXED would be soul-crushing. i have watched vids of the children who actually worked very hard and prepared for this lion king lead and this kind of unfairness would be enough to destroy a child’s dreams. north west will be fine. she has a ridiculously wealthy safety net. the children who had the part taken away will suffer because of the kardashian family’s selfish narcissism. this is thievery, really.

I want a refund, and i wasn't even there!

Actually for me, I blame the production company more than the parents. They accepted the audacity and compromised their value to the public

Considering neither Kim nor Ye can sing, they probably don't hear she can't sing. Tonedeaf. 💅🏻

Oh please! I don’t care how much fun she’s having. A talented child would have had fun too.

I just saw the lion king in December On broadway. The kid playing Simba was absolutely insane. You could tell that he had so much training, his voice was incredible. Not to be dramatic but it literally made me cry it was just so good. But he was that good because he probably trained day in and day out for years. Poor North is handed everything without having to do the work, and it will hurt her incredibly.

Yes blame the parents. The dancers said North never showed up for rehearsals. If I was performing in a show like this you bet your a$$ my mom would make sure I was there.

Kim saw Blue Ivy killing it in Beyonce concert and thought "North can do that" 🤣

This is the same 10 yr old who, 3 months BEFORE this performance (at one of Kanye's 'Listening Launch Party' promo events for his latest album) officially announced that she has made a full music album called 'Elementary School Dropout' (a play on the title of one of his early and most successful albums The College Dropout) and is listed in Wikipedia as being known for being a "Musician" .... 100% the fault of the family around her and their paid-for cheerleading squad of "Yes people".

The guy in the back shaking his head at 13:18 sums up the entire performance 😂

I totally blame her family for putting this poor child unprepared on the stage. This is not a school play where no one expects you to be that good

North did not wear the show's wardrobe. She wore her own outfit. The costume designer confirmed this. That is why her costume looks so different and out of place. I don't know if North wanted her own costume or if this was a choice by one or both parents. As far as a "celebrity child" they could have chosen a child star from Broadway. Maybe not as known to the masses as North, but still a star and actually talented. I feel like whomever was in charge of the casting did a real disservice to rest of the cast who clearly put in a lot of work. Whether North herself didn't want to rehearse or her parents did not take her to rehearse, I don't know. I do feel bad for the rest of the production though because their work and their talents are being overshadowed by this whole mess.

So glad I recorded my voice with a cassette player back in the 90s, after that reality check (in private) I never thought I could sing again. This poor girl is having that moment in front of the whole world

If I had paid hard earned money for a ticket to this, I would be incredibly irate.

Didn't people pay a bunch of money to produce this and pay a bunch of money to go and see it? Don't those people deserve to have excellent performances?

There's a time when a child need to be told "no" for their own good.

Why do I feel like this won’t be the last time we all grit our teeth at a child of West performance.

I’m 100% convinced after the lack of rehearsals, the chosen outfit… this was purposefully done by Kim for the headlines AND to subtly “humble her daughter”. Ya’ll have seen the sassiness she gives her mama and this is giving “the mama dearest arc” for Kim

she has her dads confidence and her moms skills lmaooo

I too blame the parents. She is being dragged for a decision her parents made just because they wanted more visibility and a storyline on their show

I don’t mind nepo babies, or else we wouldn’t have Kirk Douglas, Jamie Lee Curtis or Carrie Fisher. But they NEED TO BE TALENTED. This was a grand celebration with the original cast of one of the most watched and beloved musicals. Can you imagine if North could actually sing? Everyone’s mind would have been blown away in awe.

We all learn at some point that no matter how hard you try or how talented you are, there is a undeserving rich person living your dream.

Sometimes you have to tell your kids no. Sometimes you have to tell yourself no about your kids.

I think that the parents knew the outrage would happen and that North couldn't sing that song and then they could turn around and say "Why are you bullying a child" and play the victim

i woke up at 3am, opened KZfaq and just found out about North West starring in The Lion King. When i saw the thumbnails, i assumed that it was some sort of school production. Mainly because of the costume. i can't believe they were serious. Poor North.

Who are you kidding, she was thrilled to be in that stage. They are raising the world’s most famous narcissist.

People paid their hard-earned money to watch a world-class performance & had to witness an indulged kid screech & stomp around on stage. I'd be pissed if it was on my dime.

I think to the parents, this was like a school play to them. They’re so used to being the center of attention, that everyone else is insignificant to them and they don’t have the self awareness and consideration to realize that The Lion King anniversary performance is a big deal and not just a school play for their kid. Terminal main character syndrome.

The guy in the back of North when she's "singing" shows what we all feel. Shaking our heads...

It doesn’t matter how big the stage…school play or the West End, the role should always go to the most talented child who deserves it. Its not fair on the other kids to pick someone who got the role purely for her connections to satisfy her parents egos

I blame the casting company as well. So many hollywoods parents have kids who can sing and could get someone else that can sing and perform.

I blame her parents, her entire family, and the producer/director who allowed this to happen. Yes, she’s a child but do you know how many WILDLY talented kids her age AND YOUNGER there are in theater??? There’s zero excuse for this.

I feel like I'm listening to a 5th grade spring concert. I would have been pissed if i paid hundreds of dollars to watch this.

NO another celebrities child would not have filled in. It was a star studded cast of ESTABLISHED adult main performers because they have actual SINGING abilities. Many already associated with the film/musical. This isn't a school play production, you clearly had no clue what this production was. She was there because her parents threw their money around, their ego put her there in that outfit, & they're creating a monster if she, yes even at 10, couldn't tell her singing was terrible.

My thought was immediately "people pay a ticket, maybe more than they can spend, maybe they got on a plane to go see this. They deserved better."

All those gorgeous Lion King costumes and they put this child in Yeezy at the Hollywood Bowl 🫠

Her performance (both the singing and lack of dancing) was suited for a children's recital. There are so many talented children out there who deserved an opportunity like that.

I don't wanna seem harsh because she is only child who was given an opportunity that she was obviously excited for.. BUT I don't think this was just such a "star-studded cast" that anybody else is celebrity child would have gotten it. There were trained theater kids who auditioned. She took the opportunity from another child with actual talent that could have made a life changing debut. Its her parents fault for not getting her inappropriate costume (which they were in charge of) she also had just as much time to prepare as everybody else, she had no idea what she was doing on stage, where to go etc. This is 100% her parents fault thinking just because their child is famous that she was worthy of this opportunity with clearly she was not!

One thing I realized is that North will have to relive this childhood moment for the rest of her life because of the internet…usually these sort of moments are just for friends and family but North was put on a world stage at the age of 10. I feel for her honestly.

As a parent, my heart sinks watching the parents push for her to get this role. How is this girl going to feel reading the negative comments about herself, especially since her performance was mediocre, though I hate saying that. It’s too much pressure, too early. Nothing wrong with encouraging your kids to follow their dreams, but this is a case of encouraging your kid to live your dream.

I like how you presented this. You made sure to be fair and balanced and truthful without bullying a child.

“Anyone would’ve took that opportunity” absolutely not sir, I’m shy and as a kid i was even more shy. When I was a kid I couldn’t even do popcorn reading in class without wanting to cry from the anxiety! 😭

Apparently, some of the people whose kids were auditioning have said that Kim and Kanye showed up with North after they had already narrowed it down to a few kids as finalists competing for the spot, and she didn't even have to go through the audition process. So, the original objective was to have a kid with musical theater experience cast in that role. So there is no way that they didn't pay to get her on that stage. Because while, yes, it was a star-studded cast, all those stars had experience and, you know, talent. Not just because they're famous.

Adults who can't read the room are weird

Interestingly, I just read an article today on Buzzfeed about how Kim says she can't say "no" to her children. She says she doesn't have it in her to be strict. And I'm like... girl. You chose to have those four kids. It's your job to raise them (as is Kanye's).

Star-studded events like this *don't* usually include a celebrity child though, or if they do, it's a child who is known for being a performer already. It's never 'random child who is a celebrity because of their parents'.

He said- "I had self realization at 10 years old" The honesty is what keeps me here

I love your perspective, so on point on everything

What I find most bothersome is that there are genuinely talented kids who are far more qualified & deserving.

Just an update Robert: it seems someone leaked some of the auditions from the other kids and damn. It’s really making it worst for North and her parents should be ashamed of themselves.

It kind of reminds me of when I walked around thinking I had the voice of Celine Dion and wanted to audition for a televised singing competition. All because my grandma said my voice was wonderful just to be nice, and my mom had to sit me down to tell me that, in fact, I did not have the voice of Celine Dion. Perhaps a little harsh, but she saved me from a lot of embarrassment. Thank heavens.

Why no one put their foot down is beyond me. As a working professional if we had someone who never showed up for rehearsals and couldn’t sing on key but insisted on being a part of the show “just because “ I would quit right there and then. She’s literally just walking back and forth. If she wants to do this then she needs vocal and dancing lessons. Not all Nepo babies inherited their parent’s talent.

Multiple parents have come out and said their kids auditioned for this. Disney and Kim are at fault here but it reinforces this behavior into north to Continue the cycle.

Some people are saying that Kim wants to compete with Blue Ivy. I would not be surprised 😒.

She was having fun..at the expense of some other kid that atually deserved the role.

Im late but im buckled in and ready for this! 🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇

It's a school musical/talent show level of performance. Theater children are usually well vetted and deliver their performances exceptionally.

I’m a voice teacher who’s taught a lot of girls north’s age. Their first performance is NEVER their best. It’s never as good as what they’ve done in lessons for three weeks leading up. The first performance is a “see, this is how nerves and adrenaline can really impact your performance, let’s learn to work around that,” situation. Which is why if I can help it, their first performance is usually mostly for friends and family of the music school I teach at. Putting a child onstage with broadway performers at the Hollywood bowl for her first time really singing for an audience is insane and borderline cruel. Edit: guys, I’m not saying she was petrified. She’s clearly having fun. It is so easy to get off your breath when performing live, especially when it’s something new to a kid. Nerves, excitement, adrenaline, anything can lead to them not taking that first proper diaphragm breath, which is likely going to set them off for the rest of the song. To me this doesn’t sound like someone who has absolutely no sense of pitch, it sounds like she isn’t breathing properly, so she’s overshooting some notes and falling flat on others. I noticed that the more mistakes she made, the more frequent they got. By the end she’s completely off. It’s something that could have been fixed far easier than genuine issues with recognizing pitch, which is why I’m baffled as to why they didn’t just hire a voice coach. EDIT AGAIN: you want to fight with someone so bad omg I’m not saying she deserved the role AT ALL. I didn’t comment on that. My only point was that this was a rough spot to stick a child in with no real musical theater experience, and that they could have scraped something presentable together if they had gotten her training. I know nothing more about the situation than what was in this video.

The Daily Fail mentioned that "The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl and The Kardashians are both produced by the same production company, Fulwell 73 Productions. Gabe Turner, who is a partner in Fulwell, is also the creative showrunner for The Lion King. This was a shoe in for North and she was told that if she can carry a note the gig is hers." They definitely used the Kardashian family for publicity. Also, North's costume doesn't fit in with the rest of the show at all. It was used because the designer is a Kardashian family friend.

She's just a child. Also, Broadway has plenty of children her age that can KILL at singing, dancing and acting. Can't see why anyone thought it could even remotely be acceptable, compared to all other performers on stage with her.

My mom & I waited the pandemic and a year for to see the lion king. We loveee musicals and we would have rioted! Not gonna lie lol

First, no hate to North at all. She's a child. This is 100% on her parents and whoever was responsible for casting/production. That said, I get the arguement that it was a star studded event and North can be considered a celebrity. HOWEVER, there are plenty of legitimate child celebrities famous for their own work on stage or screen. And probably even "nepobabies" that can actually sing. So saying that "its not really nepotism because who else would have gotten the role?" seems like a pretty weak argument. Also, star studded doesn't mean every single main performer has to be a celebrity.

So, the parents of the audition kids have started to release their audition tapes. From what they claim, they had several rounds already for this production. When it comes to casting any performance, they (producers, directors) typically have several rounds especially when they are stuck between a handful of singers/ actors. It's also important to note (being a theater kid myself), star studded casting typically makes an exception for children roles because they are, in fact, children. Lion king the musical is a beautiful musical and typically things like this help someone buff out their resume to be potentials in the official musical due to familiarity in dance/music numbers. Think of this production as a massive audition for bigger more official roles. That's why this is a large diss to the children actors that have been auditioning. They live and breathe musical theater. These children have already altered their lives to encompass this career. They have vocal coaches, dance teachers, and custom education to best support them. To steal that dream role from them is unfair.

What really got me is the guy in the back on stage shaking his head like he was pissed at the end of the performance

Oooooo Robert! I so love your hair like this!💙💙

If I paid for tickets for a professional show this would really upset me because it takes me out of the story/magic when a performance is bad and there's no going back. The ONLY way I could be upset with the child is if it was somehow proved that it was their plan to ruin things for people all along. This is ALL the fault of adults, adults are just awful people 🖤

Honestly, these people dont live in the same reality we do. In their reality North really can sing. So I am sure she thought her child WAS talented enough to have this experience.

The face in the thumbnail of Robert’s face get me everytime

I'm sad that this young girl gets so much hate. Her parents are the ones exposing her to all of this...

I want to add this is the 30th anniversary and it had the original cast in a lot of roles it wasn't just star studded it was people who can SING. I know there's plenty of celebrities who can actually sing, it's not even just the singing but she didn't have the dance moves either 😭.

Sweet jeebus.... It's the lack of effort for any of her involvement. Nobody bothered to give her vocal coaching or choreography lessons? Nobody gave her an actual costume? That poor child is so out of place in the midst of all that high production value and extremely talented performers. The adults responsible for this set her up as a cheap, humiliating publicity stunt. Plus the whole concept just feels patronizing to all the people who worked their a$$es off to put on high quality shows in a cutthroat industry....

I like it. It was just like a cute fun cameo. All kids get to be in plays in school, she just has a bigger audience.

My heart was really racing during that performance, second hand embarrassment for the entire production behind her which actually looked good

13:17 the actor shaking his head in disbelief behind her gave me the worst secondhand embarrassment of my life 🫠

“I had self realisation at 10 that I couldn’t sing”….i think this is the issue, they’re raising their kids to believe they are incredible at everything that they do, I don’t think their children understand they might not be good at something. Not blaming the children, it’s the fault of the parents.

Why would they embarrass their daughter like that? The kindest things parents can do is say "no" and at the least they should have made sure she showed up for rehearsal.

I've actually seen The Lion King when it was first brought out as a musical and I have to say it was amazing! This performance was not even close.

It wouldn't have been someone else's "famous child". There were four classically trained children to audition for the role, and didn't get it, because the one child who sings like a child, got it.

If you think about it, Simba was a huge nepo baby (at the ‘just can’t wait to be king’ stage of the movie) he wanted to be king for the soul fact of no one telling him what to do, it was a role that was going to be just given to him. He didn’t have to WORK towards being king. At that stage, he wasn’t worried about the pride or the pride lands and the responsibilities that were to come with the role of king. North playing Simba, singing THAT song, was perfect… a nepo baby playing a nepo baby… in seriousness though, I can’t believe Kim and Kanye haven’t had North and her siblings in music/singing lessons since birth…

On point as usual, but with extra kindness and compassion. I appreciate you!

Parents have the responsibility to protect their children. One way to protect them is to tell your children the truth about their limitations.

Everyone lied to her. EVERYONE.

"I thought they were 💩". Now now Robert, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel😂

I agree with you 100%. I said something similar on another post. I wasn't unkind, just honest, and I said "good for North for not being afraid to get out there" but people eviscerated me! Anyway, I think it's cruel to put North onstage in a very public performance when she doesn't seem ready to perform at that level. The internet is forever. This clip will live forever and North will be embarrassed about it forever.

I love how you are funny without even trying.

She’s been raised by people that are so out of touch. And did you know that Kim already has plans for a makeup line for North? It’s great to raise a child with confidence and self worth, but if you’ve seen any videos of North’s attitude you can see that she herself is as out of touch as her parents; but I certainly don’t blame HER. She’s a product of her environment.

Watching this after multiple child performers who auditioned for it posted videos of themselves singing puts this in a very different light.

You cannot tell me there is NO OTHER celebrity’s child that CAN sing?

“I start laughing at Kim when she’s crying ‘cause I just can’t help it.” -Kourtney Kardashian, 2008 For real though, I see someone with real potential in North she just needs more practice. People bullying this child is insane.

For me the problem for this child is achieving the max with little to no effort. Dealing with frustration and difficulties and overcoming them are like building your life toolbox. Painful, but precious process.

I completely agree she didn’t deserve this, but in the sense that she didn’t deserve to be blasted like this. She’s a child with the talent and skill of an average child, and the average child doesn’t have to do the elementary-school-play-experience on an international stage. How many of us actually look back fondly and proudly on the performances we gave when we were kids? Those are family videos most people play later and laugh about, and sometimes people are even super embarrassed by them. She’s now having that experience in front of the entire world on a video that can never be deleted.

Robert: "released w/out her permission." everyone: hes funny

Imaging having a life’s work, amazing art, and your experience as a theatre goer being reduced to a child’s talent showcase for the rich and wealthiest!? Wild!!

This « performance » is the only thing people talk about. Anything the rest of the amazing cast did doesn’t matter and is all erased.

I saw the Lion King Broadway tour and it was freaking amazing. I cried during Circle of Life. Don't judge me lol This poor kid is being pushed by her parents into being a star and she is being punished for it.

I feel so bad for her, she’s clearly having a blast and this is sort of every kids dream at some point - to be the main character in a Disney movie, but it’s a parents responsibility to teach their child they can’t always do things just because they want to. But considering neither Kim nor Kanye seemed to have learned that lesson this doesn’t surprise me.

I honestly put this on the directors and choreographers more than anything, poor girl was left out to dry with 0 notes on her performance

Getting real tired of people who are blaming/bullying the 10 yr old, instead of her parents/whoever was in charge of casting for engaging in nepotism. North is literally in elementary school.