A couple of months ago, Parler and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, had announced that the rapper would buy a major stake in the right-wing social media app. Now, Parler has announced that Ye will no longer be purchasing Parler.
Parler’s corporate owner, Parlement Technologies, claims that the two parties agreed to terminate the deal last month. The announcement came shortly after Ye went on an antisemitic rant while appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars program. At the show, Ye said he likes Hitler, and went on to praise the Nazi leader a number of times.
“Parlement Technologies has confirmed that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler. This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November,” a company spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.
Ye first announced his intent to purchase the social media platform in October after he was locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts. On Twitter, he was suspended for a series of bigoted Tweets targeting Jewish people, especially those in the US.
Ye went on to enter an agreement in principle with Parlement Technologies to purchase its “free speech” alternative to mainstream sites like Twitter days after.
It should be noted that Twitter has already reinstated Ye’s account.
In recent years, Ye has increasingly expressed support for right-wing causes. These remarks garnered him admiration from the online right, who were eager to anoint him as a powerful figurehead for their movement. During Paris Fashion Week in October, Ye appeared alongside Owens wearing matching “White Lives Matter” T-shirts.
Last week, Ye met with former President Donald Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago, bringing along white nationalist Nick Fuentes, where he reportedly asked Trump to be his running mate, or the candidate for Vice President under Ye. The dinner sparked criticism from Republicans rebuking Ye and Fuentes’ beliefs.
Parlement Technologies was exploring a potential Parler sale weeks before the Ye agreement was announced in October. A person close to the matter told reporters that company’s asking price as wildly inflated. Also, the site’s low engagement rate, dipping as low as 50,000 daily active users was another reason.
“Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community,” the Parler spokesperson said Thursday.
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