Ye, the music artist formerly known as Kanye West, has been suspended from Instagram, he announced Friday.
The rapper and entrepreneur posted a series of text messages on Instagram Friday before posting to Twitter hours later to say that he had been kicked off the platform.
“Look at this Mark,” Ye posted with a photo of Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. “How you gone kick me off Instagram (sic),” he asked.
Rapper Kanye West speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on October 11, 2018 in Washington, DC.
(Oliver Contreras – Pool/Getty Images)
According to FOX 7 in Austin, Texas, Ye was banned from the platform for the use of alleged anti-Semitic language during an exchange with fellow rapper Diddy. The two sparked a public discourse after Ye wore a t-shirt at a fashion show in Paris that read “White Lives Matter.”
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A post from the American Jewish Committee seemed to corroborate the offensive language, as the organization said his previous comments included “incoherent rants laden with racist and antisemitic undertones” as well as “anti-Jewish posts shared to his 18 million followers on Instagram.”
Ye’s Twitter post was preceded by a photo of him holding a hat that reads, “2024,” potentially a reference to him running for the presidency. It was followed by a trio of posts about cancel culture and the youth of Iran.
Tesla founder Elon Musk, who is in the process of purchasing Twitter, formally welcomed Ye back to the platform.
“Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!” Musk tweeted. The comment was re-tweeted by Ye.
Ye has faced almost constant backlash since he publicly announced his support for former President Donald Trump in 2018. In the years since, Ye has gone through a separation from his wife Kim Kardashian, canceled business partnerships, and has vowed to run for the presidency following his failed run in 2020.
The rapper’s decision to wear a “White Lives Matter” shirt has sparked several public feuds, including one with Diddy, rapper Meek Mill, and one with designer Tremaine Emory. Ye also recently appeared on a special with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, prompting further criticism.
American rapper and producer Kanye West with US President Donald Trump in the White House’s Oval Office, Washington DC, October 11, 2018.
(Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)
Ye’s partnership with sportswear manufacturer Adidas is also “under review,” the company said Thursday, following the shirt controversy.
