Kanye West: 'I Have Finished With Antisemitism'

      Kanye West, having exhausted his ability to shock people with his antisemitic remarks, took a different approach on Thursday by declaring on X, “I am done with antisemitism.”

      This announcement came just hours after two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed outside a Jewish museum event in Washington, D.C. The suspect reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” after being apprehended, according to authorities.

      Additionally, this statement followed a few weeks after West, also known as Ye, released a track titled “Heil Hitler,” which praised Adolf Hitler. While various platforms quickly removed it, the song gained popularity on Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, where it received millions of views.

      Surprisingly, West's declaration was met with some disappointment on X. One user commented, “Unfollowed.”

      Others expressed skepticism about West's change of heart. The account Showbiz 411, run by entertainment journalist Roger Friedman, responded: “We’re done with you — so we’re even.”

      In a series of subsequent tweets, Ye stated: “I love all people… God forgive me for the pain I’ve caused… I forgive those who have caused me pain… Thank you God… I simply got a FaceTime from my kids and I wanna save the world again… The earth itself is in God’s Kingdom… GOD CALLS FOR PEACE… Share peace.”

      It was unclear if Ye’s recent tweets were connected to the shooting, which took place shortly after 9 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday. The victims were identified as Yaron Lischinsky, 30, who reportedly grew up in Israel and Germany, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who was reportedly from Kansas.

      The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, was apprehended shortly after the incident. According to The New York Times, Pamela A. Smith, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, reported that he declared “Free, free Palestine” while in custody.

      West’s assertion that he is done with antisemitism marks the latest shift in his highly publicized battle with mental health and dwindling fame.

      Similar to the fictional portrayal of Marilyn Manson in a well-known satirical Onion story titled “Marilyn Manson Now Going Door-To-Door Trying To Shock People,” Ye has had to continually outdo himself with new shocks and outrages to capture attention.

      West was featured in the 2022 Netflix documentary jeen-yus, which chronicled his ascent from obscurity to becoming a sought-after hip-hop producer and, at one point, a leading musical artist.

      Since 2022, he has received as much attention for his controversial views as for his music, losing friends, fans, and sponsors due to actions like identifying as a Nazi, praising Hitler, using swastika symbols, and denying the Holocaust.

      Mockery of his views continued over the weekend, as Saturday Night Live aired a skit featuring Mike Myers, known for Austin Powers and Wayne's World, who found himself trapped in an elevator with West.

      In 2007, Myers famously stood uncomfortably next to West during a nationally televised telethon benefitting Hurricane Katrina victims, during which West delivered an impromptu statement saying, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”

      In this weekend's sketch, Myers struggled to engage in conversation with West—played by Kenan Thompson—who made outrageous declarations like, “I’m in the KKK now!”

      SNL, like others, has found it challenging to satirize West with fabricated statements that surpass the shocking remarks he shares in reality.

      However, if you trust today’s tweets, it seems that era has come to an end.

      Main image: Kanye West in the Netflix documentary jeen-yus.