A photo illustration showing a woman holding her smartphone with Parler logo, in front of displayed same logo, on May 17, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
Billionaire musician Kanye West is buying Parler, the free speech-championing social media app that rose to prominence amid allegations that rival Twitter was suppressing conservative voices.
Parler, which bills itself as “the world’s pioneering uncancelable free speech platform,” announced the purchase agreement in principle in a press release on Oct. 17, the same day that West joined the service.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, said in a statement.
Parler has not disclosed how much West will pay for the platform nor whether the purchase will yield any policy changes, with the deal expected to close by year’s end.
“The proposed acquisition will assure Parler a future role in creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome,” Parler said in a statement.
George Farmer, the CEO of Parlement Technologies, the parent company of Parler, welcomed West’s involvement in the platform.
“This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech,” Farmer said in a statement.
“Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again,” he added.
The development comes after West was recently locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts after making posts alleged to be anti-Semitic.
Social Media Controversy
On Instagram, West shared a screenshot of a text exchange with fellow musician Sean “Diddy” Combs, in which he told him: “This ain’t a game. 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.”
Shortly afterward, West was locked out of his Instagram account. He then took to Twitter, where he posted a controversial message that also got him suspended.
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight, but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” West wrote. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jews also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
West appeared to be referring to the U.S. Armed Forces’ heightened readiness status DEFCON 3.
The post was later removed by Twitter for violating its rules, a spokesperson confirmed to multiple outlets, and West is currently unable to access his account.
West’s exchange with Diddy was sharply criticized by the American Jewish Committee, which said in a statement that West should “figure out how to make a point without using antisemitism.”
“Over the last week, the musician has fomented hatred of Jews. The greed theme has led to a long list of Jewish stereotypes, such as being money-oriented or controlling the world’s finances.”
“The control theme seeks to falsely portray Jews as secret puppet masters ruling over others. Ye needs to learn that words matter,” the statement read.
Parler, which also labels itself as “viewpoint-neutral,” recently secured $16 million in Series B funding, for a total of $56 million in funding as of Sept. 16.
Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
