Kanye West facing discrimination and harassment allegations from ex-employee

A lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by Trevor Phillips, a former employee of Kanye West, against the rapper, also known as Ye, his Yeezy company, and his Los Angeles-based K-12 Christian private school Donda Academy. Phillips has accused West of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other allegations.

Phillips, in the lawsuit filed with CNN, claims that West showed significant favoritism towards white employees over black staff, referring to the discrimination as "severe."

According to the suit, West would frequently yell and criticize black employees, while treating white staff with respect and never raising his voice. Phillips, who is African American, was often singled out by West for mistreatment and shown complete disrespect.

The former employee claims that he saw West expressing hateful views, spreading anti-Semitic beliefs and falsehoods, making threats against the LGBTQ+ community, and even engaging in inappropriate behavior on one occasion.

CNN has contacted West's representative for a response.

Phillips faced discrimination due to his skin color, and things escalated when he stood up against Kanye's prejudice and unlawful demands. As a result, Kanye targeted him with relentless harassment, humiliation, and attempts to control and ruin him mentally. The situation reached a low point when Kanye publicly berated Phillips in front of schoolchildren and parents, even threatening him with physical violence.

Phillips joined West's Yeezy fashion brand in November 2022, but his role eventually expanded to include working at Donda Academy, the school established by West in honor of his mother.

In October 2022, Kanye West caused controversy by wearing a "White Lives Matter" t-shirt and dressing Black models in clothing with the same phrase at his YZY runway show during Paris fashion week. This slogan has been associated with the Ku Klux Klan by the Anti-Defamation League.

Later that same month, during a 45-minute episode of the "Drink Champs" podcast, the rapper made several shocking and antisemitic remarks. These comments led to financial consequences for him and his brand partners.

West continued to reiterate his comments that some deemed antisemitic and anti-black.

The suit makes reference to West’s comments and social media posts at the time.

The lawsuit claims that during interviews, Kanye expressed his strong dislike and prejudice towards Jewish people, repeating harmful stereotypes that have been around for a long time.

Additionally, the suit accuses West of promoting discriminatory beliefs about Jews during meetings at the Donda Academy. It also mentions that Phillips heard Kanye using offensive language while talking to his staff.

The lawsuit claims that the school staff, in an effort to protect their jobs and shield the school children from Kanye's inappropriate behavior, tried to ignore his absurdities. Despite their efforts, Kanye continued to make alarming statements in front of the two children.

According to the suit, Kanye openly talked about his preference for dating white women and even went as far as suggesting that the school children shave their heads. He also mentioned his plan to build a jail at the school and hinted that the children could be locked in cages.

The school allegedly closed in 2023, but according to the lawsuit, Donda Academy is believed to still be running today.

CNN contacted Donda Academy for a response. The phone number provided for the school on the California Department of Education website is no longer active.

Phillips claims that during a three-hour meeting, his former boss, West, expressed admiration for Hitler and made derogatory remarks about gay people, questioning their Christianity.

Furthermore, the lawsuit mentions that Phillips' tenure at Donda Academy came to an end in August 2023.

Phillips is hoping for a jury trial and is looking to receive at least $35,000 in damages.

In December 2023, West issued an apology to the Jewish community, expressing regret for any unintentional harm caused by his words or actions.

CNN’s Alli Rosenbloom and Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.

Editor's P/S:

The lawsuit filed against Kanye