Kanye West will not be buying Parler after all, Parler confirms
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will not be buying the conservative social media site Parler, as announced in October, Parler's parents company said Thursday afternoon. "In response to numerous media inquiries, Parlement Technologies would like to confirm that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler," the company said on Twitter. "This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November."
Ye and Parler announced the deal after Ye's Twitter and Instagram accounts were suspended following a series of antisemitic tweets and statements. At the time, Parlement CEO George Farmer — the husband of Candace Owens, a conservative commentator who is friendly with Ye — said the company needed Ye's "marketing power," adding that Ye was interested in the site because of his concerns about "Big Tech censorship," The Washington Post reports. Ye's Twitter account was reinstated on Nov. 21.
A Parler spokeswoman told the Post that the deal with Ye was terminated "mainly due to his recent and well-publicized business difficulties." Ye's "precarious financial situation — including the loss of his Adidas deal — played a role in the deal collapse," Axios reports, citing "a source familiar with the situation."
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.
Ye's reputation and business deals have suffered as his public antisemitic comments grew wilder and more conspiratorial over the past few months, and Parler issued its statement shortly after he repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler on Alex Jones' Infowars program and said he likes Nazis. Ye's subsequent tweets, including a swastika inside a Star of David, earned him another Twitter suspension Thursday night.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
