(The Man, the Myth, the Ye himself. Taken from NYT.)
Staff Writer: Maya Arruda
Email: marruda7@umassd.edu
Kanye West, a.k.a Ye: everybody knows him somehow.
Whether it be for his prodigious rap career, former relationship with the celebrity social parasite Kim Kardashian, notoriously overpriced clothing brand, friendship with Donald Trump, or public mental deterioration over the past few years that resulted in increased Tabloid-esque media coverage, everyone has at least heard of Kanye West.
Now, people can all know Kanye West for the most recent lawsuit against him.
A former employee of West named Trevor Phillips worked for Yeezy, West’s expensive clothing company, and Donda Academy, West’s unaccredited Christian private school for K-12, sued West for $35,000 USD for a hostile work environment in both businesses. The lawsuit went to court last week, on April 2.
In total, the lawsuit contains 11 complaints against West and demands a jury trial. The full lawsuit can be read here, but the SparkNotes version is down below because, honestly, the lawsuit is a lot.
According to the Lawsuit, Kanye West:
- Threatened physical violence against Phillips
- Constantly spewed antisemitism to employees
- Said, and I quote, “Hitler was an innovator!” ‘Hitler was great,” and other pro-Hitler comments
- Practiced racial discrimination against black people in the workplace
- Ordered Phillips to perform dangerous electric and renovational work without proper training or permits
- Said, and I quote once more, “I am going for the Gays! First the Jews, then the Gays.”
- Harassed Phillips during work for intending to sue (I.e., whistleblower retaliation, which is illegal)
- Issued a discriminatory ultimatum against a black employee over for having a culturally black hairstyle (dreadlocks)
- Compared himself to Hitler
- Embezzlement of $2 million USD from the school’s budget for a personal trip to Paris
- Told children in his K-12 school to shave their heads
- Threatened to lock kids in cages
- Shared his unnamed partner’s nudes with his employees
- Propagated right-wing conspiracy theories about Jewish people and gay people in the workplace
What a wonderful human being, that Kanye. Just Ye being Ye and not in need of serious help. Role model for the ages, truly.
As a brief aside, that hot minute during Trump’s election campaign where Trump was lowkey trying to ward off accusations of racism essentially by showing off Kanye West as his token black friend aged like fine milk, didn’t it?
But let’s get into Donda Academy for a quick second because if you’re like me, you had no idea it existed until this lawsuit.
Kanye West’s actually owned a school that he was somehow allowed to make and/or continue owning, that puts him and his behavior into close contact with impressionable children.
Donda Academy is a Christian private school in California run and owned by Kanye West that some people actually sent their kids to, a grave mistake. Donda Academy is unaccredited, meaning that any student who somehow survived long enough to graduate will get nothing out of it but a worthless piece of paper that a solid 99% of institutions and employers will just laugh at. At least give these poor souls a free Yeezy T-shirt, so at least they got something other than trauma out of the whole experience.
Those knowledgeable in the Kris Jenner lore should be able to recognize the similarities between Donda Academy and Legacy Business School, both of which are unaccredited. In a further parallel, Jenner’s Legacy Business School was also sued, but instead of a former employee, the school was sued by Donald Trump’s Trump Organization for not paying rent for space in the Trump Towers. It’s almost like a crossover movie in the YCU (Ye Cinematic Universe).
Even before this lawsuit, the school had other controversies. In fact, two former teachers sued Kanye West and Donda Academy in April 2023 for violating health and safety codes and for unlawful educational practices. This lawsuit was added to in June 2023 by another teacher who was unlawfully fired for raising concerns about safety.
It should be noted that Phillips’ younger brother and daughter are enrolled in Donda Academy, which makes everything so much worse.
A $35,000 lawsuit may just be chump change for Kanye West, who probably blows through twice that amount in three months or less, but the publicity of the lawsuit could cause irreparable damage to West’s already tattered reputation.
All in all, West’s career comes down to one question: what does a celebrity have to do to lose all support?