In an hour-long interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, rapper Ye praised Hitler, made anti-Semitic jokes and discussed his recent meeting with former President Donald Trump.
The interview became one of the biggest stories on the internet on Thursday and dominated discussions on social media for hours. “Kanye” became the top trending topic on Twitter and, according to Google Trends, searches for “Infowars” skyrocketed during the interview.
During the live-streamed exchange, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, repeatedly referred to anti-Semitic stereotypes, made anti-Semitic jokes and praised Hitler. NBC News previously reported that Ye had used anti-Semitic language in the workplace and spoke positively about the Nazi dictator, resulting in at least one paid settlement.
“The Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything of value to the world,” Ye said at one point in the interview. «I also see good things about Hitler.»
Clips of Ye’s remarks quickly went viral on other social media platforms. On Twitter, videos of Ye praising Hitler quickly gained hundreds of thousands of views.
Following the interview, Ye received criticism from former friends, supporters and collaborators. On Thursday, the Republican House Judiciary Committee appeared to take down a viral tweet from October that read “Kanye. Elon. Trump” and Elon Musk tweeted: “@kanyewest Jesus taught love, kindness and forgiveness. I used to think that turning the other cheek was weak and foolish, but I was a fool not to appreciate his profound wisdom.» Parler’s Twitter account, the alternative social network that Ye said he planned to buy, too tweeted on Thursday that the deal was terminated by mutual agreement in mid-November.
In recent months, Ye has made repeated statements directed at Jewish people or using Jewish stereotypes, resulting in suspensions from Twitter and Instagram, the termination of his company’s work with Adidas, and the end of many other professional associations the rapper had. with companies, such as the fashion brand Balenciaga.
On November 20, Ye announced that he intends to run for president in 2024. In the weeks that followed, Ye revealed that he would be working with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and far-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos on his campaign.
This week, Ye also appeared on Tim Pool’s conservative-leaning YouTube show. When Pool began to reject Ye’s anti-Semitic statements, Ye walked away from the interview.
On Jones’ broadcast, Ye was allowed to freely make antisemitic statements alongside Fuentes with little questioning from Jones, who at times said he was not antisemitic himself. In November, Jones was ordered to pay nearly $500 million to the families of victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting for promoting the falsehood that the 2012 massacre was a hoax.
Mixed in with his anti-Semitic remarks, Ye also referred to his recent dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, saying that «Trump loved Nick.» Ye recounted: “He looked at me and said: “Where did you find this child?
The account adds to the growing controversy surrounding Fuentes’ presence at the table, which has drawn bipartisan criticism because he is a white supremacist. Trump has since denied knowing who Fuentes was during the meeting.