When Travis Scott's ASTROWORLD cover art was revealed earlier this week, there was one notable difference in the version posted by renowned photographer David LaChapelle, who's previously worked with everyone from Daphne Guinness to blink-182.
In the version LaChapelle shared, celebrated trans model and iconic performance artist Amanda Lepore is featured on the left side of the amusement park-themed cover. In Scott's IG post, however, Lepore has clearly been removed. Lepore's absence in the final take on the ASTROWORLD cover was criticized on social media, but LaChapelle has now clarified that the edit wasn't made for the reasons some have suggested.
In response to several Instagram comments, LaChapelle has defended Scott and praised Lepore for simply being a scene-stealer. "Amanda was taken out because she just upstaged everyone," LaChapelle explained, later adding in a separate comment that the move has "nothing to do with hating."
Lepore, in a subsequent edit of her original Instagram post about the cover, agreed with LaChapelle's "upstaged" assessment. "A girl can't help it," she said. "Too distracting for the eyes!"
Friday, on the same day as ASTROWORLD's release, Lepore will be performing at the McKittrick Hotel in New York as part of a stacked lineup that also includes Julie Atlas Muz, Leonid the Magnificent, and Joey Arias.
