In September 2023, photographs taken on a water taxi in Venice sparked one of the most controversial episodes surrounding Kanye West and his wife, Bianca Censori.The images showed both in a compromising position that was interpreted, at first glance, as a sexual act in the middle of a public street.
The scandal had immediate repercussions.The Venetian transport company involved was consulted about what happened and later declared that the couple was banned from its services as a result of the behavior recorded on board.
Two and a half years later, the Australian architect and performer decided to speak for the first time about that episode.In an interview published this February 6 by Vanity Fair, Censori offered her version of what happened on the boat and also addressed her relationship with West and the personal mental health process that both of them went through in recent years.
As reported by The Independent in September 2023, Kanye West and Bianca Censori were banned by a water taxi company after the photographs and videos were disseminated.At that time, it was reported that the rapper appeared to have his pants down while Censori was crouched in front of him, which fueled the hypothesis of alleged obscene sexual conduct in public.
When the controversy broke out, a spokesperson for the company Venezia TurismoMotoscafi argued that the driver had not seen “these obscenities” because he was paying attention to traffic.The company added that, if they had witnessed the behavior, “they would have disembarked immediately and reported the offenders to the authorities.”
In her interview with Vanity Fair, the journalist asked Censori if she was aware of what the public narrative had been around that episode. “That I gave oral sex on the boat?” she responded, directly alluding to the dominant interpretation.However, he insists that is not what happened.
According to the Australian, her husband was sitting in the stern of the water taxi and she “was simply kneeling on a stool and resting her head on his lap.”He also maintains that his aunt was on board with them.
Censori admits he felt a shock after seeing the press coverage.“It was the first time I felt really embarrassed,” she confesses.“I felt embarrassed for my dad.”
With the passage of time, however, he claims to have changed his perception: “As I have grown as a human being, no, I don’t care anymore.”
The interview also addresses the dynamics of her relationship with Kanye West, marked by extreme public attention and questions about her autonomy.
“I wouldn’t be doing something I didn’t want to do,” he says.Regarding her way of dressing—often associated with provocation—she explains that it was the result of joint work: “My husband and I worked together on my outfits. It was a collaboration, it was never ‘they were telling me to do something.'”
Beyond the Venetian episode, Censori dedicated a central part of the interview to talking about mental health, both hers and her husband’s.The architect acknowledged that in 2025 they had the most chaotic period, marked by West’s extremist publications and his subsequent admission to rehabilitation in Switzerland.
“All I can do is be there and help.”His voice breaking, he added: “This year was a lot like doing CPR for months. I have the love and empathy to be able to do that, and I understand that the world doesn’t.”
Censori also revealed that she herself entered treatment.“I needed to work on myself,” she says, explaining that there were patterns of behavior that not only harmed her, but also those around her.She acknowledges that she self-medicated with benzodiazepines and that rehabilitation “changed my life.” “I was very emotionally deregulated. And now I can function,” she stated.
