Kanye West, Parler 'mutually' call off platform's purchase

Rap mogul Kanye West will not buy social media platform Parler, the company announced Thursday.

In late October, the rapper now known as "Ye," announced that he would purchase the alternative tech platform. The company said on Thursday it had "mutually agreed" with him to drop the purchase plans earlier this month, according to The Hill.

Parler surged in popularity in January of 2021 amid a slew of censorship crackdowns by mainstream platforms in the wake of the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The company was swiftly dropped from major app stores. Following major restructurings, the company returned to the Google Play Store in September of this year.

Ye had announced his purchase of Parler after being banned from Twitter for posting anti-Semitic messages. 

"I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE," read the now-deleted tweet. "The funny thing is I actually can't be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda."

Sportswear brand Adidas subsequently cut ties with Ye, saying his "recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."

The announcement from Parler comes on the same day that Ye appeared in an interview with Infowars host Alex Jones in which he said "I see good things about Hitler" and "We gotta stop dissing the Nazis all the time."