Elon Musk says he expressed 'concerns' to Kanye West over antisemitic tweet, which 'I think he took to heart'

Elon Musk
(Image credit: Selim Korkutata / Anadolu Agency)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who may soon be the owner of Twitter, says he has spoken with Kanye West about the rapper's recent antisemitic post.

Musk in a tweet on Monday said he had a conversation with West earlier that day and "expressed my concerns about his recent tweet," which "I think he took to heart."

Twitter previously confirmed West's account was locked after a shocking antisemitic post, in which he threatened to go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." The post has since been removed from Twitter, and West, who is legally known as Ye, has not posted since then.

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Earlier, Meta restricted West's Instagram account, where he had suggested rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs was being controlled by Jewish people. West then returned to Twitter to the delight of Musk, who tweeted, prior to West's antisemitic post, "Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!"

West has drawn widespread criticism for his antisemitic posts in recent days, including from the Anti-Defamation League, which called his comments "dangerous."

West and Musk have praised one another in the past, and when the rapper announced he would run for president in 2020, Musk tweeted, "You have my full support!" The Tesla CEO recently offered to buy Twitter at his original price of 54.20 per share after trying to back away from the deal. He has said he wants to promote greater free speech on the platform.

Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.