Kanye West is buying conservative social media platform Parler


Kanye West is taking a page out of Elon Musk's playbook by buying a social media platform of his own.
The rapper, who is legally known as Ye, is set to acquire Parler, the social media platform used by conservatives and especially supporters of former President Donald Trump as an alternative to Twitter. Parlement Technologies said Monday it has entered into an agreement in principle to sell Parler to West, which it expects to close in the fourth quarter of 2022.
"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 said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This comes after the rapper had his Instagram and Twitter accounts restricted following a series of antisemitic posts. He drew widespread criticism after threatening to go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE" in a tweet, leading Twitter to lock his account.
Launched in 2018, Parler gained newfound attention after Trump was suspended from Twitter and Facebook in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. In 2021, it went offline after Amazon Web Services removed it from its cloud hosting service following a warning that it had to "effectively identify and remove content that encourages or incites violence against others." Parler was also removed from Apple and Google's App Stores after Jan. 6, though it has since returned to both. The platform reportedly has fewer than one million monthly active users.
Parler's CEO is George Farmer, husband of Candace Owens, the controversial conservative commentator who defended West's antisemetic tweet. "This deal will change the world," Farmer said in a statement, "and change the way the world thinks about free speech."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 22, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - silenced voices, DOGE backlash, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 crazed cartoons about March Madness
Cartoons Artists take on the education bracket, apolitical moments, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk: has he made Tesla toxic?
Talking Point Musk's political antics have given him the 'reverse Midas touch' when it comes to his EV empire
By The Week UK Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Ye finally about to be canceled for good?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION From doubling down on overt antisemitism and Nazi admiration to a series of alarming public appearances, the rap superstar and fashion mogul might have finally gone too far
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published