Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, sparked outrage once again with a series of antisemitic comments posted to the social media platform X on Friday morning. The rapper’s statements echo the dangerous rhetoric he spewed in 2022, leading to a public backlash that resulted in the loss of lucrative business deals and widespread condemnation.
In his latest online tirade, Ye praised Adolf Hitler, calling the Nazi leader “fresh” and claiming that antisemitism was “just some bulls–t Jewish people made up to protect their bulls–t.” He went on to say that he was “never apologizing for my Jewish comments” and emphasized his unrepentant stance with a message written in all caps: “AMY JEWISH PERSON THAT DOES BUSINESS WITH ME NEEDS TO KNOW I DONT LIKE OR TRUST ANY JEWISH PERSON AND THIS IS COMPLETELY SOBER WITH NO HENNESY.” He even boldly stated, “I’m going to normalize talking about Hitler.”
This disturbing behavior from Ye marks a troubling repeat of his 2022 antisemitic spree that resulted in him being banned from various social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram, and led to him losing business relationships with major brands, most notably Adidas. Despite being reinstated to X under new owner Elon Musk, Ye’s inflammatory comments resurfaced, further fueling the debate about the platform’s policies.
Adding to his controversial remarks, Ye also referenced his recent diagnosis of autism and continued to minimize his previous harmful behavior, which he had previously attributed to bipolar disorder. In a bizarre statement, he noted that if he were to lose everything again for his actions, it would be worth it, and even expressed more appreciation for video games made by Jewish people, despite his ongoing hatred.
The post was met with backlash, and while some of Ye’s posts were temporarily hidden or removed, many resurfaced, including his praise of Hitler. These comments reignited fears of a “Kanye effect,” with antisemitic groups using his words to further their own dangerous agendas. Meanwhile, critics have raised concerns about X’s role in enabling such hate speech, given its recent relaxation of content moderation rules under Musk’s leadership.
