Elon Musk has unfollowed Kanye West on X following the rapper’s latest controversial statements, but pressure is mounting for the tech billionaire to take further action. Actor David Schwimmer is among those demanding that Musk ban West from the platform, citing the rapper’s hateful rhetoric as a dangerous influence.
The Friends star took to Instagram on Saturday to publicly call out Musk and X for allowing Kanye to spread hate speech. This comes after Ye made inflammatory posts, declaring his Nazi sympathies and stating that he wants to “normalize talking about Hitler,” referring to the dictator as “sooooo fresh.”
David Schwimmer’s Strong Rebuke
Schwimmer did not mince words in his post, writing, “This is so 2022. We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate-filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk. Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X.”
The actor pointed out that Ye’s follower count is twice the total number of Jewish people worldwide, emphasizing the platform’s responsibility in curbing hate speech.
He went on to warn about the real-world consequences of such rhetoric: “His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews.”
Demand for Action
Schwimmer concluded his post with an urgent plea for widespread outrage, saying, “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity.”
Despite these strong calls for action, neither Elon Musk nor X has officially banned Kanye West from the platform. The debate continues as many await a response from Musk regarding the platform’s stance on handling hate speech and extremist content.
With rising public outcry, it remains to be seen whether Musk will take the decisive action Schwimmer and others are urging.
