Can George Floyd Family’s $250 Million Defamation Suit Finally Get Kanye Off Our TV?

Let’s dare to dream.

 Antisemite and rightwing darling Kanye West (or “Ye”) smeared the late George Floyd with Tucker Carlson-approved talking points during an appearance on the "Drink Champs" podcast. He repeated the lie that Floyd, who was murdered in broad daylight, actually died from a fentanyl overdose. Former Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee, pressed into Floyd's neck for nine-and-half minutes, was apparently an innocent bystander.

Look, Chauvin was convicted on state and federal charges, as were his accomplices who stood and watched. It is exceptionally difficult to convict a police officer in this country — even when there’s video footage of them killing someone. Juries desperately want to let cops walk. Chauvin’s conviction should’ve ended all debate, but the conspiracies endure.

Floyd is not alive to defend himself, but Ye still tried to sacrifice him on the altar of white supremacy. This was too much for Floyd’s still-grieving family, and his daughter, Gianna Floyd, plans to sue Ye and the people silly enough to continue associating with him professionally for "harassment, misappropriation, defamation and infliction of emotional distress.” They are seeking $250 million in damages.

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 From NPR:  

"Kanye's comments are a repugnant attempt to discount George Floyd's life and to profit from his inhumane death," said Attorney Pat D. Dixon III. "We will hold Mr. West accountable for his flagrant remarks against Mr. Floyd's legacy."

It’s usually hard to prove defamation against a dead person, who no longer has to worry about their reputation. This is not like the Alex Jones situation, where that diseased pustule claimed the living relatives of Sandy Hook Elementary victims were crisis actors and their loved ones weren’t actually gunned down. 

Even the convictions for Floyd’s murder can’t prevent creeps from spreading lies about his death. The First Amendment is still in effect. It’s why Kyle Rittenhouse will have a hard time with his own whiny defamation suits. 

But if Ye is sweating a bit, I don’t mind. The "Drink Champs" podcast has removed the entire episode featuring Ye’s unhinged ramblings. A representative said in a statement: " D  rink Champs prides itself on its ability to allow a free flow of ideas within the hip hop community. That being said, unfortunately, the recent interview with Kanye West contained false and hurtful information regarding the circumstances surrounding the murder of George Floyd. Integrity is very important and we don’t want to promote false narratives on our platform. Our goal is to celebrate the culture."

The guy who models “White Lives Matter” T-shirts probably isn’t going to help “celebrate the culture.” Black culture also deserves better than repulsive antisemites.

“The media could decide not to platform antisemitism. There’s no rule that says he needs to be interviewed live. But—Chris Cuomo will pretend this is journalism which is laughable.”

— Soledad O'Brien (@Soledad O'Brien) 1666111877 

Monday, disgraced former CNN host Chris Cuomo interviewed Ye “LIVE” from what was apparently his car. He’s not dropping a new album, so all he’s promoting is antisemitic bigotry. There’s no actual news value. Cuomo could’ve probably found an antisemite willingly to come into the studio or at least turn on the interior lights in his mobile studio.

Actual journalist Soledad O’Brien tweeted that the "media could decide not to platform antisemitism. There’s no rule that says [Ye] needs to be interviewed live. But — Chris Cuomo will pretend this is journalism which is laughable.”

The only news story here is why Republicans haven’t collectively denounced Ye’s antisemitism as strongly as they derided Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the National Anthem.   During the 2016 election, Democrats were often asked aboutKaepernick’s peaceful protest. 

Ye doesn’t need a platform for his hate and stupidity. He needs to just go away. If the Floyd family’s lawsuit achieves this, even briefly, we’re all winners.

[ Hollywood Reporter / NPR ]

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