Kanye West has returned to Instagram almost three weeks after he was locked out of his account, claiming he lost $2 billion in one day.
The Yeezy founder, who has legally changed his name to Ye, was banned from posting on Instagram on October 9, for making antisemitic comments, a move that has seen multiple businesses cut ties with him.
Kanye, 45, posted about his significant drop in fortune on Instagram Wednesday night, October 26, in one of his first two posts marking his return. Let’s take a look at what Ye has said now he’s active on the gram again…
Kanye West claims he lost $2 billion in one day
In the second post that Ye shared upon returning to Instagram today, October 27, he wrote a message directly addressed to Ari Emanuel, the CEO of talent agency Endeavor, for calling on businesses to stop dealing with him.
In a post captioned “LOVE SPEECH,” Ye wrote: “I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am.”
The rapper-turned-fashion designer reassured Emanuel that he still loves him, as does God. Despite the CEO encouraging businesses to stop promoting Ye and calling on Apple and Spotify to stop streaming his music.
In a Financial Times op-ed response, Emanuel wrote, “Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience. There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism,” Ari penned, adding that, “Silence and inaction are not an option.”
He also emphasised that “mental illness is not an excuse for racism, hatred or anti-Semitism.” What Emanuel worries most about is Ye’s “millions of fans around the world” in particular the “young people whose views are still being formed.”
Kanye West’s net worth plummets after losing Adidas partnership
Ye’s antisemitic statements recently led him to be locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts. Not only that, but a number of businesses began dropping him from their partnerships. During an October 16 episode of the Drink Champs podcast, Ye declared Adidas would not drop him despite his recent antics.
“The thing about me and Adidas is, like, I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they can’t drop me. I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” He said in the interview.
Adidas proved him wrong on Tuesday, October 25, when it terminated their partnership earlier than the contract was due to expire, in 2026.
Forbes reported that the end of their longstanding business relations caused West’s net worth to fall from a hefty $2 billion to $400 million.
Why Ye got banned on Instagram
The musician is in the midst of a firestorm, his controversial statements began at his October 3 Yeezy fashion show in Paris. When he showed up wearing a shirt with the words “White Lives Matter” plastered across the back. This slogan was often used by opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Then, West shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a text conversation with Sean “Diddy” Combs, in which he responded to Diddy’s disapproval of the PFW stunt by saying he would “show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me” as per BBC.
West’s post led to his Instagram account being restricted, but he then took to Twitter to continue his rant writing “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” West penned in a since-removed tweet.
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