The fallout from Kanye “Ye” West’s antisemitic rhetoric continues to play out. A new report suggests the musician/designer expressed his affinity for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
According to NBC News, West paid a settlement to a former employee who alleged that Ye praised Adolf Hitler and mentioned conspiracy theories about Jewish people. The outlet claims documents back up those allegations.
Apparently, three former employees or collaborators witnessed Kanye West using antisemitic language. An additional three people insisted the Chicago-raised entertainer went on an antisemitic rant during an interview with TMZ.
Former TMZ staffer Van Lathan previously recalled Kanye West allegedly saying he loved Hitler and the Nazis during his visit to the celebrity news website’s offices. Lathan also asserted that TMZ edited out Ye’s most offensive comments from the broadcast.
Back in 2018, Kanye West caused a media firestorm after saying enslaved Africans in America chose to be slaves. Van Lathan sternly addressed him during that same TMZ episode where West allegedly made favorable comments about the Nazi regime.
The former employee of Kanye West reportedly signed a nondisclosure agreement as part of a settlement with the Donda album creator. Ye has denied the claims made by the former employee in the signed agreement.
“With this pattern that’s happening and with the doubling and tripling down of all this, it’s pretty obvious that this is some kind of disgusting, hate-filled, strange Nazi obsession,” Ryder Ripps told NBC News. Rips is a conceptual artist who worked with West between 2014 and 2018.
After Apologizing To The Jewish Community, Kanye West Returned To His Antisemitic Takes
Kanye West received public backlash for promoting a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt at his Paris fashion show last month. In response to Sean “Diddy” Combs’s criticism, Ye threatened to go “death con 3” on Jewish people in a now-deleted tweet.
After getting adverse reactions to his social media post, Ye went on several shows and doubled down on his antisemitic statements. He later apologized to the Jewish community before once again pushing conspiracy theories about Jewish people.
“There is a line, and I think, like, he’s crossed,” stated Ryder Ripps. “I genuinely think that he’s crossed it with his current actions and beyond just, like, this is offensive, like these words are offensive. Because I’ve seen an uptick of people, like, personally attacking me… like calling me a Jew on Instagram and Twitter.”
In addition to Van Lathan, Diddy, and Ryder Ripps, other public figures also chastised Kanye West for his recent comments about the Black Lives Matter movement and the Jewish community. However, West did gain backing from far-right commentators and white supremacist groups.