Kanye West will not be buying Parler after all, Parler confirms

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will not be buying the conservative social media site Parler, as announced in October, Parler's parents company said Thursday afternoon. "In response to numerous media inquiries, Parlement Technologies would like to confirm that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler," the company said on Twitter. "This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November."

Ye and Parler announced the deal after Ye's Twitter and Instagram accounts were suspended following a series of antisemitic tweets and statements. At the time, Parlement CEO George Farmer — the husband of Candace Owens, a conservative commentator who is friendly with Ye — said the company needed Ye's "marketing power," adding that Ye was interested in the site because of his concerns about "Big Tech censorship," The Washington Post reports. Ye's Twitter account was reinstated on Nov. 21.

A Parler spokeswoman told the Post that the deal with Ye was terminated "mainly due to his recent and well-publicized business difficulties." Ye's "precarious financial situation — including the loss of his Adidas deal — played a role in the deal collapse," Axios reports, citing "a source familiar with the situation."

Ye's reputation and business deals have suffered as his public antisemitic comments grew wilder and more conspiratorial over the past few months, and Parler issued its statement shortly after he repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler on Alex Jones' Infowars program and said he likes Nazis. Ye's subsequent tweets, including a swastika inside a Star of David, earned him another Twitter suspension Thursday night.

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