Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, says he decided to buy Parler after getting his account suspended from two major social platforms for antisemitic remarks and that it’s something others have pitched to him for years.
Ye announced the decision to acquire Parler on Monday after being suspended on Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic remarks on the platforms. He said that he would use the company to ensure that conservatives can “freely express” themselves on the platform.
“When I got kicked off of Instagram and Twitter at the time, I knew it was time to acquire my own platform,” Ye told Bloomberg News on Monday. “People had talked about it and mentioned this idea for years, but enough was enough.”
KANYE WEST ENTERS AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE SOCIAL MEDIA APP PARLER
Ye said that he would use the platform to offer alternatives to those who had been banned on more mainstream platforms. “We’re using this as a net for the people who have been bullied by the thought police to come and speak their mind,” he said. “Express how you feel. Express what’s tied up inside of you. Express what’s been haunting you. I use social media as my therapist.”
The rapper said that he intends to visit former President Donald Trump this week and invite him to join Parler and that he would also join Trump’s network Truth Social. It is unclear if this means that Ye will abandon other social platforms for Parler.
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Twitter and Instagram locked down Ye’s accounts on Oct. 8 after he made threatening-sounding remarks about Jews on both platforms. Several businesses, including Adidas and JPMorgan Chase, are reconsidering their arrangements with the rapper.
Ye and Parler intend to get into a “definitive purchase agreement” that will close “during the fourth quarter of 2022,” according to the Monday announcement. The rapper will be acquiring the company from Parler CEO George Farmer, who is the spouse of conservative commentator and Ye ally Candace Owens.
Ye follows in the tradition of Trump, who founded Truth Social nine months after he was banned from Twitter for his handling of the Jan. 6 protests.
