Kanye West Sued for Racial Discrimination, Harassment by Ex-Staffer: ‘Screamed at and Berated Black Employees’
Kanye West has been sued by yet another ex-employee: Benjamin Deshon Provo, formerly of fashion brand Yeezy and Donda Academy, said he was fired after blowing the whistle about labor code violations.
In a lawsuit filed Friday morning in Los Angeles, Provo claims that he “suffered severe discrimination, harassment and retaliation by Kanye West” during the time he served as a security guard at the now-closed Donda Academy.
In the document, which was obtained by TheWrap, Provo states, “Kanye frequently screamed at and berated Black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff.”
Provo also alleges that he was discriminated against because he is Muslim and was ordered to cut his dreadlocks or be fired.
The lawsuit goes on to state, “during Plaintiff’s employment, Kanye openly expressed his displeasure with Black authors. Specifically, in or around mid-2023, Kanye required that anyone associated with Donda dispose of books related to Martin Luthar King, Jr., Malcolm X, and other prominent figures in the Black community.”
The rapper is also said to have “expressed negative beliefs associated with prominent Black leaders that advocated for or sought to advance the Black community. Such offensive opinions were particularly troubling to Plaintiff,
who is unapologetically Black.”
The lawsuit also alleges that West engaged in whistleblowing retaliation, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Provo is asking for a jury trial and a settlement of more than $35,000.
He also asks for the injunction against all Defendants, prohibiting them from owning and operating any type of educational school for minor children under the age of 18 years in the state of California.”
Donda Academy was closed abruptly in October 2022 after West made several antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media. Several of his clients and sponsors stopped doing business with him in the wake of that scandal.
A lawsuit filed earlier this month an ex-employee at Donda Academy alleged that the rapper wanted to shave students’ heads and lock them in cages.
Another filed in 2023 by two former teachers at the private acadamy aallege that the rapper enabled “unsafe and illegal” conditions, including locking students in classrooms.
The post Kanye West Sued for Racial Discrimination, Harassment by Ex-Staffer: ‘Screamed at and Berated Black Employees’ appeared first on TheWrap.