Kanye West is facing a massive legal battle as a former employee, Benjamin Provo, seeks an eight-figure payout over allegations of workplace discrimination.
In new court documents obtained by TMZ, Provo—who is Black—claims he is owed up to $23 million in damages from West and his Donda Academy. He alleges he was fired from his position in 2022 specifically for refusing to cut off his dreadlocks. Provo’s complaint further alleges that the environment at Donda Academy was hostile, claiming that West went as far as removing all books written by prominent Black leaders from the school.
The legal proceedings have already surfaced some explosive testimony. Provo’s team deposed Kanye’s former chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, who reportedly testified that the workplace culture was intentionally provocative. According to Provo’s filing, Yiannopoulos stated, “If you have ‘really thin skin about racially charged remarks … this really is not the company for you,'” and added, “If you’re working at Yeezy between 2023 and 2024, you must accept the provocative way Ye talked about religion.”
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West has fired back in his own legal filings, arguing that Provo was never actually his direct employee. Instead, West maintains that Provo was employed by a third-party staffing company used to hire personnel for his ventures.