NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12: Kanye West is seen leaving the VOGUE World: New York during September 2022 New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
Kanye West – who know goes by just Ye – has agreed to purchase the controversial conservative-oriented social media app Parler, the network announced on Monday, according to NBC News.
Parler sells itself as an alternative to other apps like Facebook and Twitter, with an emphasis on “free speech” and an “uncancelable” space. Last year, it was taken offline for its connections to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The social media platform is helmed by George Farmer, the husband of fellow outspoken Black conservative Candace Owens.
The news comes just a week after the rapper was locked out of his Twitter account and restricted on Instagram following widespread backlash over antisemitic posts.
The parent company of Parler, Parlement Technologies, announced “it has entered into an agreement in principle to sell Parler” to Ye, who has been “taking a bold stance against his recent censorship from Big Tech.”
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a statement announcing the plans.
Last year, Google, Apple and Amazon suspended the social networking app Parler, which became unavailable in App Store, Google Play and Amazon Web Services, reportedly over the network’s insufficient control over user posts that the encouraged violence that led to the January 6 attacks.
Both parties will enter into a definite purchase agreement with the deal expected to close by the end of the year with “ongoing technical support from Parlement…. and infrastructure,” according to the terms of the initial agreement.
“The terms of the proposed transaction would include ongoing technical support from Parlement and the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure,” the statement said.
Owen’s husband George Farmer, CEO of Parlement Technologies, added “this deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech.”
“Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again. Once again, Ye proves that he is one step ahead of the legacy media narrative,” he said. “Parlement will be honored to help him achieve his goals.”
Earlier this month, Ye was restricted on Instagram and Twitter for making comments about Jewish people.
On October 10, he posted a since-deleted screenshot an alleged text exchange between him and fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, alongside the caption “Jesus is Jew.”
The message appears to imply that Combs is controlled by Jewish people – a longstanding cornerstone of antisemitic conspiracy theories.
In another antisemitic post on Twitter, Ye said he would go “death (sp) con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” in reference to the U.S. defense readiness scale known as DEFCON.
He also complained about being restricted from Instagram, and posted an old picture of himself and Facebook/Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who similarly owns Instagram, in response to the ban.
Ye has similarly used Instagram to attack ex-wife Kim Kardashian – who he divorced last year – her recent ex Pete Davidson, and business partners like Adidas and Gap, The Shade Room previously reported.
The controversial figure also came under fire for wearing a shirt that read “White Lives Matter,” seemingly in mockery of the Black Lives Matter movement, at a fashion show in Paris earlier this month, per The Shade Room.
The news also comes amidst ongoing negotiations between Elon Musk and Twitter for a buyout of that social media platform.
