Kanye West Is Buying Parler After Twitter, Instagram Impose Restrictions
The deal between West, known legally as Ye, and Parler is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
- Member of Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association
Kanye West, aka Ye, has agreed to buy Parler.
Kanye West, the artist now known legally as Ye, may soon have his own social media company. On Monday, Ye has agreed to purchase right-wing-leaning social media platform Parler, according to the site's parent company, Parlement Technologies.
It is an agreement in principle, with the parties saying they intend to reach a definitive agreement and close the deal by the end of the year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
If the deal goes through, it might give Ye the opportunity to set his own rules on social media.
Ye's political views have gotten him temporarily banned from multiple mainstream social media sites. Twitter blocked his account earlier this month after he posted an antisemitic tweet on the site. His Instagram account was also restricted, NBC confirmed, but it's not known exactly which post caused Instagram parent company Meta to take action. Prior to the ban, Ye allegedly posted screenshots on Instagram of a conversation between himself and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs as "an example to the Jewish people."
Much of the latest uproar surrounding the musician and fashion mogul stemmed from the Yeezy fashion show earlier this month, where he wore a "White Lives Matter" shirt. The Anti-Defamation League categorizes "White Lives Matter" as a white supremacist phrase, and the rapper has since had his long-standing partnership with sportswear company Adidas placed "under review."
"In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," Ye said in release.
Parler was founded in 2018 as Twitter alternative. It has since become a social media hub where members freely discuss guns and violence in support of former President Donald Trump's baseless election claims prior to the Jan. 6 riots.
Amazon Web Services cut initially cut ties with the company shortly after Jan, 6, forcing the site offline. Google and Apple also removed the app from their stores. The company relaunched in February 2021 using an alternative web-hosting service, and returned to Apple's App Store in May 2021 and Google's Play Store last month.
With the purchase of Parler, Ye "will never have to fear being removed from social media again," Parlement CEO George Farmer said in a release.
Parler didn't immediately respond to request for comments.