A jury deciding whether Black employees at Donda Academy were treated differently from their white coworkers may not hear about some of Kanye West’s most inflammatory public statements. His attorneys are asking a Los Angeles judge to keep hundreds of pages of social media material out of an upcoming discrimination trial, arguing that provocative posts about Nazis, Adolf Hitler, and other subjects have little to do with the employment claims jurors will actually be asked to decide.
The dispute comes from Benjamin Provo’s 2024 lawsuit over his time working security for Donda Academy and Yeezy. Provo alleges he was subjected to racial and religious discrimination while employed by Ye and claims Black workers received worse treatment than white employees. He also says he was ultimately fired after refusing a demand that he cut his locs, which he wore in connection with his Muslim faith. Ye has denied the allegations.
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Public Versus Private Personas
Ye’s attorneys are now challenging material Provo intends to introduce at trial. According to court filings reviewed by Complex and TMZ, the disputed evidence spans 919 pages and includes posts attributed to Ye as well as material connected to former employees and outside accounts. Among the Ye posts are statements identifying himself as a Nazi and praising Hitler, along with an Instagram image showing Nazi clothing.
The defense is not asking the court to decide whether the posts were offensive. Its argument is that jurors could be pressured to judge Ye’s public persona rather than the conduct alleged by Provo. His attorneys contend some posts came before or after Provo’s employment, while others may have originated with third-party accounts that would first need to be authenticated. They have asked Judge Brock T. Hammond to either exclude the material or require Provo’s attorneys to establish its relevance before jurors see it.
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His allegations also did not emerge in isolation. Trevor Phillips, another former Black employee of Yeezy and Donda Academy, filed a separate lawsuit weeks earlier accusing Ye of treating Black employees worse than their white counterparts. Phillips’ complaint included its own allegations involving racial discrimination and antisemitic comments inside the workplace. Ye denied the allegations in that case as well.
The court has not yet ruled on whether the disputed social media material will be admitted. Provo’s case is expected to go to trial later this year.
