Kanye West has reportedly paid a settlement to a former employee who claimed he praised Hitler and rambled on about conspiracy theories involving Jewish people.
According to documents obtained by NBC News, the employee accused Ye of using antisemitic language in the workplace for years and said he more than one time praised Hitler and the Nazis during company meetings. Ye had denied the claims made by the former employee.
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NBC News said it confirmed “proof of the payment” after reviewing the docs and speaking with sources.
Six additional people who have worked with Ye have also claimed they heard the Yeezy mogul praise Hitler and use antisemitic language about Jewish people. Three of the six accusers said Ye had commended Hitler during his infamous TMZ rant in 2018.
Exclusive: Ye paid a settlement to a former employee who alleged witnessing the rapper praising Hitler and Nazis in business meetings, according to documents reviewed by @NBCNews. https://t.co/v0zopEtcBm
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 3, 2022
News of the settlement is just the latest in what has been a catastrophic fallout for the Grammy-award-winning artist after he made disparaging comments about Jewish people, George Floyd, and white supremacy on Fox News, Drink Champs and other outlets.
Adidas, Balenciaga, Chase Bank and even Def Jam have all since cut ties with the Chicago star, and even Goodwill said it will no longer be accepting any of Ye’s products.
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While the comments Ye has made have had a devastating impact on his career, his lawyer informed him they might also cause him to lose custody of his children.
While entangled in a bitter legal battle with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, Ye claimed on Tuesday (November 1) that his former lawyer warned him such remarks could cost him custody of their four children.
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“On my last and final meeting with Bob Cohen, he told me ‘if I keep up antisemitic rhetoric you’ll loose [sic] custody of your children,’” Ye wrote on Parler, the conservative social media platform he purchased last month, per AllHipHop.
“So let me get this straight If I complain about Jewish business practices it’s considered antisemitic. So, my custody lawyer was basically telling me if you complain about getting done wrong in business you will loose [sic] custody of your children, and this was the guy on my side.”
Cohen, who is Jewish, dropped Kanye West as a client in October after the rapper vowed to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” in a since-deleted tweet. Cohen was the sixth lawyer to cut ties with Ye during his lengthy divorce proceedings.
While the fallout has been swift, Ye’s discography appears to be safe (for now). Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek – who condemned Ye’s comments – told Reuters that, if similar comments were accessible on Spotify via podcast interviews, for example, his team would have means to remove the music.
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“It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy,” Ek said, “It’s up to his label, if they want to take action or not.”
However, Apple Music has taken a more aggressive approach and removed access to Kanye West’s playlists at the end of October.
