Ye, the rapper known by most as Kanye West, is the subject of a new lawsuit from an ex-employee who alleges he subjected staff to an abusive work environment. The lawsuit alleges that West imitated Nintendo’s beloved video game icon, Mario, of Super Mario Bros. fame, while threatening his staffers.
Rolling Stone’s coverage of the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit states that Trevor Phillips, a former employee of Ye’s Yeezy fashion brand, said his relationship with the rapper/entrepreneur had “soured” by May 2023, after West allegedly threw a “temper tantrum” and threatened to punch him. The lawsuit alleges the inciting incident was that West was unhappy with a garden Phillips was tending at Donda Academy, the private school founded by West and named after his late mother.
This led to West allegedly screaming at Phillips in front of a crowd of people, saying he was “fucking fired.” Phillips claims he attempted to plead his case and reminded West that his daughter and younger brother attended Donda, and pointed to an undiagnosed medical condition he was reportedly suffering from. The suit claims West responded by pointing at Phillips and screaming, “Fuck your neck,” then pointed at the school and said, “and fuck your daughter. I don’t give a fuck about none of that.”
West then allegedly attempted to pick up the garden Phillips was working on but was “too weak and out of shape” to pick the entire display up, according to the suit. The lawsuit states West then “physically threatened” Phillips, saying he was “going to punch [Phillips] in the face.” Then, the lawsuit describes a sudden shift in mood, in which West imitated the “celebratory dance of Mario from the famous video game Super Mario Brothers.” West “jumped up […] punching one fist in the air while he said, ‘I’m gonna give you one more chance. Another life.’” Phillips is seeking $35,000 in damages.
Elsewhere in the suit, Phillips, who is Black, alleges West would give preferential treatment to white employees.
“During his tenure, Phillips never witnessed West yell and berate a white person, but on countless occasions he saw and/or personally experienced Kanye frenziedly yell at Black people,” the lawsuit reads.
Phillips also claims he overheard West saying he wanted to “shave [Donda students’] heads and that he intended to put a jail at the school—and that they could be locked in cages.” Among the many disturbing claims, Phillips says West would frequently proclaim admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler (which he has previously done publicly). The suit also alleges West would say antisemitic and homophobic statements in work environments, threatening violence towards Jewish and gay people while touting conspiracy theories, such as saying, “I am going for the gays! First the Jews, then the gays…gay people are not true Christians. And gay people are controlled by Bill Gates so that they don’t have children for population control.”
West’s antisemitic comments have been well-documented in recent years and even resulted in him losing a deal with shoe-maker Adidas and being banned from X (formerly Twitter) in 2022. His profile has since been reinstated but has been scrubbed of most of its posts.
To get the full sense of the lawsuit, check out Rolling Stone’s coverage. But fair warning, there are some disturbing claims made in the suit.
