Kanye West has reportedly agreed to acquire the conservative social media app Parler after being suspended from other platforms.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” said West in a statement released by Parler.
“Financial terms of the deal weren’t announced. The company previously said it had raised $56 million in funding from outside investors,” CNBC noted.
BREAKING: Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to acquire conservative social media app Parler, the platform has announced.
The move comes a week after the rapper was locked out of his Twitter account and restricted on Instagram for antisemitic posts. https://t.co/P68yuPVMdx
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 17, 2022
Kanye West is acquiring Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by many conservatives.https://t.co/jGKoPAfWF8
— CNN (@CNN) October 17, 2022
Kanye West has agreed to buy Parler, the libertarian-leaning social network popular with conservatives https://t.co/SgDPr6sVvq
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) October 17, 2022
Watch via Rumble courtesy of Chief Nerd:
From CNBC:
The move comes after Ye was locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts for making antisemitic remarks. In one post, Ye played into a long-standing antisemitic conspiracy theory that fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is being controlled by Jewish people. On Twitter, meanwhile, Ye’s account was restricted after he said he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
A representative for Ye didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ye’s net worth is reportedly $2 billion. Much of his fortune comes from from his Yeezy sneakers brand and partnerships with Gapand Adidas. However, Ye severed business ties with Gap recently, and Adidas said it’s also reviewing its business relationship with him. JPMorgan Chase also cut ties with the rapper.
Parler is one of several right-wing-friendly platforms to emerge during the Donald Trump era, as the former president’s supporters claim unfair treatment by Twitter and other apps. There’s also Gettr, which is run by former Trump advisor Jason Miller, and Trump’s own app, Truth Social, whose parent company is under federal investigation as it seeks to go public. Conservative-friendly video platform Rumble went public last month.
IndieWire added:
The parent company for the platform, Parlement Technologies, confirmed that the star is currently in talks to take over the app. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Parlement issued a statement that “the proposed acquisition will assure Parler a future role in creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome.”
The statement added that both parties “intend to enter into a definitive purchase agreement” and expect to close the deal in the fourth quarter of 2022. The proposed buyout would include Parlement continuing to offer the “use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure.”
Parler CEO George Farmer said, “This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech. Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again.”
I have a feeling Parler is about to get a LOT more exciting…
And by the way, we’ve been on Parler from the very beginning.
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