The ongoing controversy surrounding hip hop star Ye, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, SNL star Pete Davidson, took a new turn yesterday when Ye was suspended from Instagram.
The suspension comes after Ye called The Daily Show host Trevor Noah a racial slur following a recent monologue on Noah's show in which he criticized Ye’s treatment of Kardashian.
In the segment, Noah spoke of his own experiences growing up in an abusive home and the startling parallels he sees between Ye's behavior and that of the men who abused his mother--one of whom eventually attempted to kill her.
See The Daily Show segment below.
Unpacking the Kim-Kanye-Pete situation and the harassment many women face when trying to leave a relationship.pic.twitter.com/qF3cfiYL9R— The Daily Show (@The Daily Show) 1647400438
In response to the segment, Ye posted a screenshot of a Google search for Noah's name, along with a caption that parodied the lyrics of the spiritual song "Kumbaya," replacing the first syllable with a racial slur which is the modern equivalent of the term "Uncle Tom."
The slur was once used to refer to Black people and is based on a character from blackface minstrel shows. In its modern usage, Black people use it in reference to other Black people they feel pander to White power structures and have "betrayed their race."
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Instagram parent company Meta said Ye will be banned from posting, commenting, or sending DMs on Instagram for 24 hours. They also confirmed the post attacking Noah is not the only post they had removed from Ye's account for terms of use violations.
Noah's segment echoed sentiments many have expressed in recent weeks, including comedian D.L. Hughley, likening Ye's behavior towards Kardashian to stalking.
In recent weeks, Ye has also ramped up attacks against Davidson, releasing a music video in which he decapitates Davidson. Ye has also posted screenshots of a conversation between he and Kardashian in which she expressed worry his rhetoric would lead to someone hurting Davidson.
In his segment, Noah pointed out Kardashian is embroiled in this situation with her ex-husband despite being a billionaire with every resource available.
To him, it all points to a sobering reality:
"If Kim cannot escape this, Kim Kardashian, then what chance do normal women have?"
On Twitter, most people seemed firmly on Noah's side, with many criticizing Ye and some calling for harsher repercussions.
Kanye implying Trevor Noah is a c*on like he didn\u2019t say slavery was a choice, attack Harriet Tubman and refer to Trump as his Daddy— Chim (@Chim) 1647432745
They need to PERMANENTLY suspend his account.— YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE (@YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE) 1647487703
Ye gotta lot of nerve of using that word after all the tap dancing he did for red hat gang.https://twitter.com/buzzfeed/status/1504264311929192452\u00a0\u2026— WIP (@WIP) 1647479672
So do we only give women conservatorships or nah?https://twitter.com/BuzzFeed/status/1504264311929192452\u00a0\u2026— Jasmin Porcupine (@Jasmin Porcupine) 1647479665
Kanye West is turning a worship song into a racial slur because Trevor Noah just laid out the facts? What is that Sunday service gimmick about then? #Kanyepic.twitter.com/afLadFHyeU— Melissa Olsen (@Melissa Olsen) 1647445493
That reply of Noah to Kanye's post is what class looks and sounds like. Ye doesn't have it! And I agree with Noah, i can dislike Kim K for everything but I still feel very empathetic to her when it comes to her messy husbands behaviour post break up.— W\u00f6lkchen (@W\u00f6lkchen) 1647488625
Kanye West better get himself right & back off Trevor Noah!!! That's our homeboypic.twitter.com/c6wacL4kch— Mankosi (@Mankosi) 1647443614
They need to PERMANENTLY suspend his account.— YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE (@YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE) 1647487703
So Kanye West is gonna insult everyone who comments on his divorce while he continuously puts it out in public?...people wouldn't care if he settled this in private, him insulting Trevor Noah & D L Hughley just goes to show that he lacks accountability.— Vicky Steamboat (@Vicky Steamboat) 1647448216
Kanye calling Trevor Noah a c**n is just about the same as a spoon accusing a fork of being cutlery...pic.twitter.com/HhjstWJCbZ— The BZA \ud83d\udc99 (@The BZA \ud83d\udc99) 1647437974
A screenshot verified by the Comedy Central host's team showed a comment from Noah on Ye's Instagram post about him.
It implored Ye to change his approach to Kardashian and Davidson and ensured he only wants the best for Ye.
How classy is Trevor Noah's response to #Kanye 's slur though?pic.twitter.com/GWCy1jgGqA— Ms. Siya Miti (@Ms. Siya Miti) 1647512429
Noah wrote:
“There are few artists who have had more of an impact on me than you Ye."
“You took samples and turned them into symphonies ... You’re an indelible part of my life Ye."
"Which is why it breaks my heart to see you like this. I don’t care if you support Trump and I don’t care if you roast Pete."
"I do however care when I see you on a path that’s dangerously close to peril and pain.”
In reaction to the slur, Noah added:
"...clearly some people graduate but we still stupid.
"Don’t ever forget, the biggest trick racists ever played on Black people was teaching us to strip each other of our blackness whenever we disagree."
"Tricking us into dividing ourselves up into splinters so that we would never unite into a powerful rod."
However Noah called Ye’s delivery of the insult—a parody of the classic song “Kumbaya, My Lord"—"funny as sh*t."
Whether Instagram's suspension will slow Ye's rants down is unclear, but unlikely.
