Kanye West leaves X following backlash for antisemitic posts
Rapper Kanye West has deleted his account on X (formerly Twitter), after a series of antisemitic and misogynistic posts sparked demands for him to be removed from the platform.
He also continued to post to the social media platform throughout last night’s Super Bowl event, where he criticised Taylor Swift for singing along with the lyrics to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ during the half-time performance.
After his antisemitic posts on February 7th, there was significant backlash from other users of the platform and fellow celebrities, with actor David Schwimmer leading the charge for West to be banned from the platform.
After West continued to post throughout the weekend, X owner Elon Musk appeared to post restrictions on the visibility of the rapper’s account, before West himself took the decision to remove himself from the platform.
In a final post before deleting his account, he appeared to thank Musk and his fans for their engagement, writing: “I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board. It was like an Ayahuasca trip. Love all of you who gave me your energy and attention.”
West has previously been criticised for remarks of a similar nature, having made an appearance on controversial broadcaster Alex Jones’ InfoWars show and making antisemitic comments. He has also been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns, which has also divided opinion amongst his fanbase.
West also stirred controversy earlier in the week when he and wife Bianca Censori appeared to crash the red carpet at this year’s Grammy Awards, with Censori sparking outrage for wearing a revealing translucent dress.