As Kanye West returns to the public eye with a vengeance, Bill Maher has some thoughts on his latest antisemitic rant.
On Friday’s episode of Real Time, the comedian quickly turned his attention to Ye in his opening monologue, calling out the 24x Grammy winner’s offensive rant and his friendship with President Donald Trump after West pleaded with the twice-impeached politician to pardon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
“Then of course, Kanye joined the fun and tweeted yesterday, ‘I love Hitler and I’m a Nazi,'” said Maher. “Either he’s trolling or he’s angling for a cabinet appointment.”
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West previously called on Trump to “FREE MY BOTHER PUFF,” referring to the rapper who is awaiting trial on multiple sex trafficking and abuse charges. Combs has pleaded not guilty and was denied bail three times.
The Yeezy mogul went on to say he’s “never apologizing for my Jewish comments,” adding in a disturbing series of posts, “I’m a Nazi. Hitler was sooooo fresh.”
In response, the American Jewish Committee has condemned West for continuing to “purposefully use his platform to spew anti-Jewish hatred. While some may dismiss his hateful rants, we cannot overlook the dangerous influence they can have on his millions of followers, particularly on social media, where a significant portion of today’s antisemitism thrives. Hate, left unchecked, only multiplies. At a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing to terrifying levels worldwide, Ye is actively endangering Jews. We urge others with a platform like Ye’s – particularly in the entertainment industry – to call out this blatant hatred.”
Following a similar antisemitic rant in 2022, which raised concerns for West’s mental wellbeing, the artist released an apology in Hebrew the next year.
“I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community … It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” he said at the time. “I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”