A former employee has filed a lawsuit against artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, alleging that he spread antisemitic conspiracy theories and made inappropriate comments during meetings at his private Christian school in Los Angeles. The lawsuit claims that Ye expressed a desire to shave students’ heads, lock them in cages, and compared himself to Hitler, minus gas chambers. He allegedly made discriminatory comments towards Black people, praised the Nazi leader, and pressured employees to do renovations without permits. Ye also reportedly used $2 million of the school’s budget for a trip to Paris and temporarily withheld payments to workers after Adidas cut ties with him over his antisemitic comments.
During a Sunday service at the school, Ye angrily fired the former employee, Trevor Phillips, over an issue with a garden, despite Phillips’ daughter attending the school and his gratitude for the job due to a medical condition. Ye allegedly responded with a tantrum, disparaging Phillips and threatening to punch him in the face. Phillips continued working for Ye until Donda shut down in August. The lawsuit, filed by attorney Carney Shegerian, seeks over $35,000 in damages for discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and other claims. Phillips’ allegations are a part of a larger pattern of troubling behavior at Donda, with previous lawsuits filed by former teachers and an ex-assistant principal alleging discrimination and wrongful termination.
Former employees at Donda have raised concerns about the school’s practices, including allowing students to eat only sushi for lunch, removing windows because Ye didn’t like glass, and banning chairs, artwork, and outside books. The lawsuits have also targeted Donda’s predecessor, Yeezy Christian Academy, with a trial scheduled to begin in April 2025. Despite these allegations, a lawyer for Ye has dismissed the claims, stating that descriptions of Donda as a dystopian institution to satisfy Ye’s idiosyncrasies are false. The troubled and bizarre portrait painted by these lawsuits adds to the growing controversy surrounding Ye and his management of the private school in Los Angeles.
