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Kanye West appears to address antisemitism controversy in return to Instagram

Rapper referenced Jonah Hill in his post

Annabel Nugent
Saturday 25 March 2023 10:40 GMT
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Kanye West has returned to Instagram with a post stating that Jonah Hill made him “like Jewish people again”.

The rapper was banned from Twitter and Instagram in late 2022 over a number of antisemitic comments, which also saw him dropped from brand partnerships with both Adidas and Balenciaga. CAA, one of the biggest celebrity talent agencies in the US, also cut ties with the musician.

West –  who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021 – posted to Instagram on Saturday (25 March).

He shared a screenshot of a movie poster from the 2012 comedy film 21 Jump Street, starring Hill and Channing Tatum as police officers who go undercover at a high school.

West accompanied the post with a caption, reading: “Watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street made me like Jewish people again.

“No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people.”

He continued: “No Christian can be labelled antisemite knowing Jesus is a Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill. I love you.”

At the time of writing, Hill has not yet responded to the post. The actor does not have Instagram or Twitter at the moment.

(Instagram)

West returned to Twitter in November, around the same time that Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform.

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In a tweet, however, Musk claimed that the rapper’s account was “restored by Twitter before the acquisition”. West was later temporarily suspended from the site in December for “incitement to violence”.

In December, West appeared on right-wing commentator Alex Jones’ show Infowars, during which he made the shocking declaration that he “likes Hitler”.

West’s comments have sparked public outrage, with many public figures speaking out against his actions and wider cases of antisemitism.

Vogue has also said that neither the publication nor editor Anna Wintour had no intention of working with West again.

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