Jewish ex-employee sues Kanye West over antisemitic messages

A former Yeezy employee alleges West sent her "hail Hitler" texts and made degrading comments before firing her, adding to the rapper's history of controversial antisemitic behavior.

By SHIR PERETS FEBRUARY 12, 2025 02:22

Kanye West attends the Cincinnati Bengals game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium earlier this year. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) (photo credit: REUTERS)

A former Yeezy employee, who is Jewish, has sued Kanye West, alleging the rapper sent antisemitic messages including "hail Hitler" and made derogatory comments before terminating her employment, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

According to Variety, the plaintiff – identified only as Jane Doe – alleged that West consistently targeted Jewish employees with hateful messages, including “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”

The lawsuit, filed in LA Superior Court, is one of many filed by West’s former employees and details antisemitic behavior that took place from January to June of 2024.

The lawsuit also included instances of gender discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination, among other claims.

West is also accused of sending Doe pornographic material, as well as directing her to market his “Yeezy Porn” venture.

West went on an antisemitic rant on X that lasted several days last week, proclaiming, among other things, “I love Hitler, now what?” (credit: SCREENSHOT/X)

Doe was hired at Yeezy in December 2023 as a marketing specialist and took the job hoping West had changed after he issued an apology to the Jewish community for repeated antisemitic comments a short while earlier, Forbes reported.

In January 2024, she suggested West publicly denounce all ties to Nazism, to which he responded in a text, “I am a Nazi."

In June 2024, West allegedly texted her, “What the F– Is Everybody Here Getting Paid?” before sending multiple degrading messages, calling her “ ugly as f—,” “stupid ass corny b—,” and daring her to “sue me, you corny ass b—.”

Doe reported his conduct to her manager but was fired the next day.

“Ye waged a relentless and deliberate campaign of antisemitism and misogyny against my client,” the plaintiff’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, said in a statement to Forbes.

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“His appalling treatment of women and fixation on Nazism, evident in abusive texts where he repeatedly calls himself Hitler, expose his motives.” 

West has an extensive history of antisemitic comments

In the past, West has made multiple antisemitic comments on social media, including posting that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” and claiming “Black musicians signed to Jewish record labels and those Jewish record labels take ownership” on X/Twitter in 2022.

In October 2022, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources, that West had a “longstanding fascination” with Hitler and even wanted to name an album after him.

West’s antisemitism led to Adidas cutting ties with him. In August 2023, the company sold its leftover Yeezy products and donated the profits to the Anti-Defamation League and Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.

According to Forbes estimates, the loss of the deal slashed West’s net worth from $2 billion to about $400 million.

Most recently, West went on an antisemitic rant on X that lasted several days last week, proclaiming, among other things, “I love Hitler, now what?” “Elon stole my Nazi Swag,” and “You can get money with Jewish people, but they always gonna steal.”

West ended his tirade by thanking owner Elon Musk for “letting me vent” and deactivating his account.

Hours later, West aired an ad during the Super Bowl for his website, with only one item listed: a swastika t-shirt.

The site was removed a day later, with Shopify President Harley Finkelstein telling CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the website’s owners “had an entire day” to prove they weren’t violating the company’s policies, “which did not happen.”