Kanye West returns to Twitter after Elon Musk lifts bans on Trump and others

Kanye West appears to have returned to Twitter.

“Testing Testing Seeing if my Twitter is unblocked,” the rapper wrote on Sunday.

It marks the latest development in the tumultuous relationship between the social media site and West, who was banned for posting antisemitic comments last month.

West’s latest tweet drew mixed reactions from fellow users, with some celebrating his apparent return and others remarking: “Oh no.”

West’s account - banned on 9 October after he said he was going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” - was reinstated earlier this month when Musk’s Twitter purchase went through.

Following his reinstatement, West tweeted on 3 November: “I’m not talking to nooobody for a month.”

He also shared an image of a short statement that read: “I’m taking a 30 day cleanse. A verbal fast. No alcohol. No adult films. No intercourse. In God we praise. Amen.”

Meanwhile, West was reported to be in the process of buying alternative messaging platform Parler, which styles itself as an unbiased platform and is popular with prominent US conservative voices.

His new post over three weeks after his Twitter account was reinstated comes after Musk moved to allow several other previously-banned accounts back online, including that of former president Donald Trump.

Musk suggested that his decision to bring back Trump’s account, which was blocked following the January 6 insurrection, was driven by a Twitter poll.

Previously, Musk suggested Twitter would form a content moderation council with “diverse viewpoints” before deciding on Trump and other controversial accounts. It is unclear if that council ever met.