#BYMEspresso☕: Ye's Parler Deal Fallout
Kanye West, the rapper known for antisemitic commentary, is no longer buying Parler, the social media service that bills itself as a platform for free speech.
Kanye West, the rapper and fashion designer known for antisemitic commentary, is no longer buying Parler, the social media service that bills itself as a platform for free speech and is popular among right-wing audiences, the company said on Thursday.
Mr. West, who goes by Ye, agreed to buy Parler for an undisclosed sum in October, days after Instagram and Twitter restricted his accounts in response to antisemitic commentary he shared on the platforms. The deal set Ye up alongside Elon Musk, who was buying Twitter, as prominent figures who would own a social media company, giving them personal outlets to assert their views about speech on the platforms.
But Ye’s deal for Parler collapsed in mid-November, a Parler spokeswoman said. The social media service, which is owned by Parlement Technologies, did not specify why the sale to Ye was not moving forward.