Kanye West has announced he likes Jewish people again in a post on his Instagram page. The rapper and former billionaire, now known as “Ye”, had made several antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories in a spree of interviews and public appearances last year, including one incident in which he claimed he “likes Nazis.”
West wrote in the post that watching Jonah Hill, who is Jewish, in the movie 21 Jump Street “made me like Jewish people again.” He added that “no one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that hatred towards millions of innocent people.” The post has more than 2 million likes and concludes with West saying, “Thank you Jonah Hill, I love you.”
West’s post follows previous antisemitic comments on social media, including claims he is going to go “death con 3” on Jewish people, one tweet in which he says he is “starting to think anti-Semitic means [the N word]” and his praise of Adolf Hitler during an appearance on Infowars in December.
It is estimated that West’s net worth was $2 billion before Adidas—in addition to Balenciaga, the Gap and Foot Locker—cut its relationship with him. He was later named 2022 Antisemite of the Year by StopAntisemitism, a watchdog organization focused on exposing antisemitic groups and individuals.
West has apologized for some of his comments, including an interview with Chris Cuomo in October in which he refers to a “Jewish underground media mafia,” suggesting that Black musicians signing with Jewish-owned record labels is a form of “modern day slavery.” Despite this, he later said he “loves Hitler” and “likes Nazis” and was suspended from Twitter after sharing a photo of the Star of David combined with a swastika.
It appears that Kanye West has changed his views regarding Jewish people, expressing his newfound appreciation for them in an Instagram post. West has made several antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories in the past year, but has since apologized and is now saying that watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street “made him like Jewish people again.” His post has garnered more than 2 million likes and his net worth before Adidas cut their relationship with him was estimated to be $2 billion. West has been named 2022 Antisemite of the Year by a watchdog organization and was suspended from Twitter for sharing a photo of the Star of David combined with a swastika.