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.
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.
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.
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.
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