Kanye West’s former security guard sued him for discrimination, wrongful termination and creating a hostile work environment, among other claims. Benjamin Deshon Provo added his name to the list of ex-Donda Academy employees who’ve brought complaints against West by filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Friday (April 26).
According to Provo, West “unjustifiably and unreasonably” demanded employees shave their heads in 2023. Provo wouldn’t comply, citing religious reasons for keeping his dreadlocks. West and manager John Hicks pressured Provo to cut the dreads, but Provo stood firm despite West’s “increasingly more aggressive” demands.
“Plaintiff refused,” Provo’s attorney noted in court documents obtained by PEOPLE. “Thereafter, Hicks approached Plaintiff and stated, ‘Kanye said, ‘Tell the one with the dreads to shave his head or he is fired.’ Plaintiff refused to shave his head, and as a result thereof, his employment was terminated.”
Provo began working for Kanye West in 2021. He handled security at the Donda Academy, Sunday Service events and a Yeezy warehouse. Provo was allegedly told to “prevent paparazzi from interacting with Kanye by any means necessary, including acts of violence.”
The security guard’s lawsuit said there was “a stark difference in the way Kanye treated Plaintiff and other Black employees” compared to other employees.
“Kanye frequently screamed at and berated Black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff,” Provo’s lawsuit contended.
Provo claimed he was paid less than his non-Black colleagues. He experienced a “decrease in his paychecks” after raising a complaint.
West’s former security guard sued him a few weeks after another former Donda Academy employee named Trevor Phillips made similar claims in a separate lawsuit. Phillips said West “treated the Black staff considerably worse than white employees.” Phillips also accused Kanye West of threatening to shave Donda Academy students’ heads and put them in cages.
