Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, came under fire this weekend over social media posts that many believe were antisemitic.
On Friday, Ye shared screenshots of a text conversation with Diddy, who criticized Ye for promoting a “White Lives Matter” shirt in Paris last week. In one message, Ye wrote: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me. I told you this was war.”
Meta, citing a violation of its policies, deleted the post and restricted Ye’s access to his Instagram account.
On Saturday, the rap star turned to Twitter – where he hadn’t posted in almost two years – and wrote: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.
“The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
The tweet was deleted for violating the platform’s policies.
Ye followed with the cryptic message: “Who you think created cancel culture?”
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Political strategist Steve Schmidt was among those reacting to Ye’s comment. “Kanye West has 3 million followers. He just said he is coming to get the Jews,” tweeted Schmidt. "6 million Jews were murdered in gas chambers within a human lifetime. People are saying ignore Kanye because he is sick and a clown. They say he isn’t serious. Those people are deluded.”
Comedian Sarah Silverman tweeted: “Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on twitter and it’s not even trending. Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud.”
In an Instagram Story, Hacks star Hannah Einbinder shared: “Gonna need my non Jewish friends to condemn that s**t. It can’t just be Jews defending ourselves, there aren’t enough of us left. We need allies so …. If you see something say something.”
Actor and podcaster Michael Rapaport blasted Ye in a video message he posted on Twitter. “This is unacceptable, you creep, you,” he fumed.
In 2019, Ye explained that he becomes delusional if he doesn't take medication prescribed for the treatement of bipolar disorder.
“You start acting erratic... When you ramp up, it expresses your personality more," he said on an episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. "You can become almost more adolescent in your expression.
“When you’re in this state, you're hyper-paranoid about everything ... You have this moment [where] you feel everyone wants to kill you. You pretty much don’t trust anyone."