Kanye West faces lawsuit and Shopify shutdown after Super Bowl ad

3 hrs ago

Kennedy Felton Lifestyle Correspondent/Producer

By Kennedy Felton (Lifestyle Correspondent/Producer), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

Kanye West is facing a lawsuit filed by a former employee alleging antisemitic harassment and a hostile work environment. This comes amid recent controversies, including his wife Bianca Censori’s “invisible” dress at the Grammys and a hate-filled social media rant.
Shopify has shut down Ye’s website after he aired a Super Bowl ad, which directed viewers to a page selling a $20 T-shirt featuring a black swastika.
This controversy coincides with the announcement of Ye’s new album, “Bully,” leading to speculation about the timing’s potential strategic intent.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has had a week of controversy—from his wife Bianca Censori’s “invisible” dress at the Grammys to his latest social media rant. And now, the rapper is facing a lawsuit and major business fallout.

Ye sued by former employee

TMZ obtained the lawsuit, filed by a Jewish former employee who used the alias “Jane Doe” in 2023. It includes disturbing, antisemitic text messages allegedly sent by West, who now goes by Ye. One message reads, “I am a Nazi.” Another states, “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”

Doe claims Ye subjected her to a hostile work environment. She alleges he berated her appearance when upset and pressured her to assist in an adult film business venture. After she declined, she says his treatment of her worsened.

According to the lawsuit, after Doe reported Ye’s behavior to a manager, he sent her a series of abusive text messages. One message allegedly read, “Come destroy me… Hail Hitler.” The next day, her six-month employment was abruptly terminated.

This lawsuit follows a weekend-long hate-filled rant on Ye’s social media. He allegedly made inflammatory statements similar to those referenced in the lawsuit. He also posted multiple adult film videos and showed support for Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Ye’s X account was deactivated shortly after.

Shopify shuts down Kanye West’s website

Two days before the lawsuit was filed, Ye aired a 30-second Super Bowl ad in major markets, including Atlanta and Los Angeles. The ad, filmed on his iPhone from a dentist’s chair, featured him claiming that he spent all the ad budget on new teeth, which limited his production. He then directed viewers to his Yeezy website.

However, instead of the full clothing catalog listed previously, visitors found only one item: a $20 white T-shirt featuring a black swastika. According to Deadline, the shirt was not even available when the ad ran.

By Tuesday morning, Shopify had taken down Ye’s website. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Shopify explained its decision:

“All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.”

Upcoming album raises speculation

This latest controversy also comes just months ahead of Ye’s newly announced album, “Bully,” which he revealed last week on Justin LaBoy’s podcast.

Given Ye’s history of making headlines before album releases, some speculate whether the timing is coincidental or strategic.

Tags: antisemitism, Celebrities, Entertainment, Hollywood awards, Kanye West, shopping, Social Media, Super Bowl

[KENNEDY FELTON]

After a week of controversy – from his wife’s invisible dress on the Grammy’s red carpet to his social media rant – Kanye West is now facing a lawsuit from a former employee and major business fallout.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, was filed by a Jewish former staffer who worked for him in 2023 under the alias “Jane Doe.” It includes disturbing text messages allegedly sent by West now known as Ye. One reads, “I am a Nazi” while another reads, “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”

Doe claims Ye subjected her to a hostile work environment, including berating her appearance when upset and pressuring her to help him with an adult film related business venture. After she declined, she alleges that his treatment of her worsened.

According to the lawsuit, after reporting Ye’s behavior to her manager, she received a slew of abusive text messages from him, calling her ugly and saying, “Come destroy me… Hail Hitler.” The next day, her six-month employment was abruptly terminated after he fired her.

The lawsuit follows a weekend-long hate-filled rant on Ye’s social media, where he made inflammatory statements similar to those referenced in the lawsuit, posted multiple adult film videos, and showed support for Sean “Diddy” Combs, currently behind bars awaiting trial on multiple sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Ye’s X account was subsequently deactivated.

SHOPIFY SHUTS DOWN KANYE WEST’S WEBSITE FOLLOWING SWASTIKA T-SHIRT STUNT

Just two days before the lawsuit was filed, Ye aired a thirty second Super Bowl ad in major markets, including Atlanta and Los Angeles. Filmed on his iPhone from a dentist’s chair, he claimed he spent all the ad budget on new teeth, which limited his production. He then directed viewers to his Yeezy website.

However, instead of a full clothing catalog that was listed just prior, visitors found only one item – a twenty dollar white T-shirt featuring a black swastika. A source tells Deadline the shirt was also not featured at the time the ad ran.

By Tuesday morning, Ye’s website was taken down by Shopify.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Shopify said, “All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.”

UPCOMING ALBUM RAISES SPECULATION

This latest controversy also comes just months ahead of Ye’s newly announced album, “Bully,” which he announced on Justin LaBoy’s podcast last week. Given his history of making headlines leading up to major releases, some speculate whether the timing is coincidental or strategic.