Kanye West has been in the midst of divorce proceedings with ex-wife Kim Kardahian but, this week, he became embroiled in an even more serious lawsuit. The rapper has been hit with a $250 million lawsuit by the family of George Floyd, who died in 2020 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nine-and-a-half minutes. During a podcast appearance, West made false statements about Floyd’s death, and the late security guard’s family has opted to sue the star for defamation and more. And per reports, it looks like political pundit Candace Owens and more could be roped into the suit as well.
The lawsuit was filed by Roxie Washington on behalf of her and George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, who’s also the late Floyd’s only child. In a statement, Washington’s lawyers confirmed that she’s suing Kanye West and his business partners for defamation, harassment, misappropriation and infliction of emotional distress. Now, according to TMZ, the legal team is considering a number of possible defendants in the case. Aside from the aforementioned Candace Owens, the Drink Champs podcast (on which West made the statements) and the show’s home, Revolt TV, could also face legal action.
The fashion mogul drew the ire of the Floyd family and many commentators after his appearance on last week’s episode of the podcast. When discussing Floyd’s death, he claimed that convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee “wasn't even on his neck like that.” He also opined that fentanyl was the true cause of Floyd’s death. During the chat, the “Jesus Walks” performer further asserted that his sentiments were backed up by Candace Owens’ new documentary, The Greatest Lie Ever Sold. (Ye appeared at the movie’s premiere and took photos with Owens, who also took part in his “White Lives Matter” shirt controversy.) The film has proven to be controversial, with many calling its account of events inaccurate. This is reportedly why Roxie Washington could be eyeing Owens in the suit.
Revolt TV, for its part, has since removed the interview from the web, though clips are still making the rounds on social media. N.O.R.E., the co-host of Drink Champs addressed the situation while speaking with The Breakfast Club. The media personality has been criticized for not pushing back against the rapper’s statements and, with that, he shared his take on things will issuing an apology:
I just want to be honest, I support freedom of speech. I support anybody not being censored. But I do not support anybody being hurt. I did not realize that the George Floyd statements [Ye made] on my show were so hurtful. … But I apologize to the George Floyd family, I apologize to anybody that was hurt by Kanye West’s comments.
This is only one of several controversies that Kanye West has been involved in as of late. Earlier this month, West sparked some fashion show-related drama after he criticized Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Stars like Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber eventually got involved, as they spoke out in support of the journalist. West later claimed to have spoken to Karefa-Johnson and smoothed things out.
As of this writing, Ye has yet to publicly respond to the Floyd family’s lawsuit. And barring any kind of unexpected development, it seems that Roxie Washington will proceed as she intends. It remains to be seen whether she also decides to include Candace Owens, Revolt TV and others.
