Tweet
"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" -
Kanye WestShort Media Analysis
In October 2022, rapper and fashion designer
Kanye West (legally known as Ye) faced significant backlash after posting anti-Semitic content on Instagram and Twitter, resulting in
Instagram restricting his account, and
Twitter restricting his account a day later. The controversy began when West posted a
text exchange with Sean "Diddy" Combs on Instagram, suggesting Jewish people were controlling Combs, after Combs criticized
West's "White Lives Matter" T-shirt worn at Paris Fashion Week on October 3. Following his Instagram restriction, West moved to Twitter where he posted about going "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE," apparently referencing the military defense readiness condition DEFCON. The Anti-Defamation League condemned these posts as "deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic," while the American Jewish Committee criticized West for making "incoherent rants laden with racist and antisemitic undertones." These incidents prompted Adidas to place its lucrative partnership with West "under review" on October 6. The controversy fits within West's pattern of provocative behavior, including previously suggesting slavery was a "choice," calling the COVID-19 vaccine "the mark of the beast," and
abruptly ending a 2016 concert with a tirade against various celebrities. West was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder following a
2016 hospitalization, though media coverage varied in emphasizing this context. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was then in the process of acquiring Twitter, had welcomed West back to the platform shortly before the anti-Semitic post. Media coverage across Al Jazeera, BBC, and Yahoo maintained factual consistency about core events while emphasizing different aspects: Al Jazeera provided extensive historical context, BBC highlighted West's mental health diagnosis and
Tucker Carlson interview, and Yahoo detailed West's previous social media suspensions and explicitly explained the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories referenced in his posts.
In-Depth Media Analysis
Introduction
In October 2022, rapper, producer, and fashion designer
Kanye West (
legally known as Ye since October 2021) faced significant backlash after posting anti-Semitic content on social media platforms Instagram and Twitter. These posts resulted in
account restriction from Instagram on the 8th, and a
restriction from Twitter a day later, it also drew widespread condemnation. The incident occurred directly after
West's controversial "White Lives Matter" T-shirt appearance at Paris Fashion Week, creating a cascade of negative publicity that impacted his business relationships and public standing.
Chronology of Events
The controversy began following West's "White Lives Matter" T-shirt incident at Paris Fashion Week on October 3, 2022. Sean "Diddy" Combs criticized West's stunt, posting an Instagram video saying he "did not rock" with the slogan and stating: "All lives matter - but that Black Lives Matter, don't play with it. Don't wear the shirt. Don't buy the shirt. Don't play with the shirt. It's not a joke."West responded by posting screenshots of what appeared to be a
text exchange with Diddy on Instagram. In these messages, West told Diddy: "I didn't like our convo. I'm selling these tees. Nobody can get in between me and my money." When Diddy asked him again to stop, West replied: "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." This post implied Jewish people were controlling Diddy, referencing a common anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.Meta, Instagram's parent company, subsequently restricted West's account for violating its policies on hate speech. Following this restriction, West returned to Twitter after a nearly two-year absence, posting a photo with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg with the caption: "Look at this Mark. How you gone kick me off instagram."On Twitter, West escalated the situation by posting: "I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE." He continued: "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." This post appeared to reference the U.S. military defense readiness condition DEFCON, though West misspelled it as "death con."Twitter removed this post and locked West's account due to violations of the platform's policies against hate speech. According to multiple news sources, both social media platforms took these actions in response to what they determined was anti-Semitic content that violated their community guidelines.
Advocacy Group Responses
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a strong condemnation of West's posts, calling his tweet "deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic, period." The organization emphasized there was "no excuse for his propagating of white supremacist slogans and classic antisemitism about Jewish power, especially with the platform he has."The American Jewish Committee similarly criticized West for making "incoherent rants laden with racist and antisemitic undertones" in a statement released on October 7, 2022. The group specifically mentioned West's "dangerous" exchange with Combs, as well as his comments about former presidential adviser Jared Kushner during his
Tucker Carlson interview.These responses highlighted how West's statements aligned with established anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories regarding Jewish influence and control—narratives that have historically been used to justify discrimination against Jewish communities.
"White Lives Matter" T-Shirt Context
The anti-Semitic social media posts followed directly after West's appearance at Paris Fashion Week, where he and several models wore T-shirts displaying the slogan "White Lives Matter" during his YZY Season 9 fashion show. According to the Anti-Defamation League, this phrase is categorized as "hate speech" and has been attributed to white supremacists who began using it in 2015 as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement.One model wearing the shirt was Selah Marley, daughter of musician Lauryn Hill and granddaughter of reggae icon Bob Marley. The fashion industry widely criticized the stunt, with Sean "Diddy" Combs publicly dissociating himself from West's message.
Tucker Carlson Interview
Between the Paris Fashion Week controversy and his anti-Semitic social media posts, West gave an interview to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. When asked about the "White Lives Matter" T-shirt, West told Carlson it was "funny" and "the obvious thing to do," stating: "The answer to why I wrote 'White Lives Matter' on a shirt is because they do."West claimed he had discussed the shirt with his father, who allegedly called it "just a Black man stating the obvious." West suggested to Carlson that the backlash occurred because he wasn't "acting in a way the media approved of," adding: "Because the same people that have stripped us of our identity and labelled us as a color, have told us what it means to be Black."During this same interview, West made comments about former presidential adviser Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, claiming Kushner negotiated Middle East peace deals during the Trump administration solely "to make money." West stated: "I just think it was to make money. I don't know... I just think that that's what they're about is making money. I don't think that they have the ability to make anything on their own."
Elon Musk Connection
When West returned to Twitter after his Instagram restriction, Tesla CEO Elon Musk—who at the time was in the process of acquiring Twitter for $44 billion—welcomed him back to the platform. Musk wrote: "Welcome back to Twitter, my friend," a message that preceded West's anti-Semitic post.This interaction gained additional significance given Musk's stated intention to make Twitter a "free speech haven" with relaxed content restrictions. According to Al Jazeera, Musk had renewed his $44 billion offer to buy Twitter following a months-long legal battle with the company, and had expressed interest in remaking Twitter into a platform with fewer restrictions, though "it is impossible to know precisely how he would run the influential network if he were to take over."
Business Consequences
The controversy quickly affected West's business relationships. Adidas announced on October 6, 2022, that it was placing its partnership with West "under review," stating: "After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period."
West's partnership with Adidas, which produced the highly successful Yeezy sneaker line, represented one of West's most lucrative business ventures. The German sportswear company's decision signaled potential serious financial consequences beyond the social media restrictions.
Pattern of Controversial Statements
According to Al Jazeera, West had "earned a reputation less for his music and more for stirring up controversy
since 2016 when he was hospitalised in Los Angeles because of what his team called stress and exhaustion."Yahoo provided detailed information about West's previous Instagram suspension for using a racial slur against Trevor Noah in March 2022 and offered the most explicit explanation of the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories West referenced, describing it as "the anti-Semitic theory that a secret cabal of Jewish people is conspiring to control the world's media, government and banks."
Mental Health Context
West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder following his 2016 hospitalization after
abruptly ending a 2016 concert in Los Angeles. The BBC specifically noted this diagnosis as potential context for his behavior, stating: "West, who has changed his name to Ye, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder several years ago and has spoken publicly about his mental health challenges."While this diagnosis provides important context for understanding West's behavior, the provided documents do not suggest that any of the news outlets explicitly connected his mental health status to his anti-Semitic statements or used it to explain or excuse his rhetoric.
Social Media Platform Actions
Both Twitter and Instagram removed West's posts and restricted his accounts for violating their policies on hate speech. According to Al Jazeera, sanctions by Meta "may include temporary restrictions on posting, commenting or sending direct messages" with restrictions potentially lasting "as little as 12 hours or for days, depending on how serious the violation was or how many other times the account broke the rules."Articles Analyzed:
Al Jazeera,
Yahoo, and
BBC*There may be errors on this page.
