Kanye West Accused Of ‘Berating’ Black Donda Academy Staff, Paying Them Less Than White Colleagues

Kanye West's former security guard at Donda Academy is suing him for allegedly mistreating Black staff at the defunct school.

The ex-staff, named Benjamin Deshon Provo, claims that West paid his White employee more than his Black employee and allegedly enforced rules about dressing, such as demanding that they shave their heads.

Several other staff have filed suits against West for wrongful termination in the past, claiming that the rapper fired them after they complained about some issues in the school.

Provo, a former security guard at Donda Academy, is suing West, the school, and others for "discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and violations of various labor codes."

In his suit, he alleged that the rapper and his management paid Black staff less than White staff, an amount he claimed to be $5 less.

According to reports, Provo added that when he brought forward his grievance to his then-manager John Hicks, the senior staff member would shun him off, saying, "Don't bring up money to Ye. He doesn't like to talk about money."

Provo also claimed that Hicks told him that West didn't have enough money to cover security expenses, which was purportedly the reason for the lower salary rate.

However, Provo found this difficult to believe, citing that the pay difference remained that way despite his complaint to the manager.

The suit read in part, per The Sun: "Kanye frequently screamed at and berated Black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward White staff."

As part of his complaints, Provo, who is a Muslim, claimed that the rapper tried to enforce rules about appearance that went against his religion.

"Notably, Kanye began to become increasingly more aggressive, demanding, 'Alright y'all, it is time for you to shave your heads. I am not messing around,'" Provo claimed in the suit.

At the time, Provo was on dreadlocks and refused to cut them against West's wishes. He alleged that after he stood his ground, he was approached by Hicks and given an ultimatum.

"Kanye said, 'Tell the one with the dreads to shave his head, or he is fired,'" Provo recalled his conversation with the manager.

Still, he refused to shave his head, which seemingly led to his removal from the school despite being assigned multiple duties other than security guard.

According to the Daily Mail, Provo is the latest in a long line of staff members to sue West over how they were treated when they worked at his school.

In July 2023, a former teacher sued the rapper "over alleged health and safety violations and for dismissing [him] when he complained."

In his suit, teacher Isaiah Meadow claimed that Yeezy Christian Academy, the predecessor to Donda Academy, had several facility issues that West left unattended.

In April of that year, Cecilia Hailey and her daughter Chekarey Byers, who previously worked in the school, sued the rapper for wrongly firing them after they reported code violations and other wrong happenings within the school.

Two months later, another former teacher, Timanni Meeks, was added as a plaintiff to the suit for similar reasons.

In court documents obtained by The Blast, a former Yeezy employee, Trevor Phillips, accused the controversial rapper of "severe discrimination, harassment, and retaliation" during his time with the famous rapper's clothing company. Phillips also had responsibilities tied to Donda Academy.

Phillips alleged in his lawsuit that West "proudly" shared his anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in front of the staff and students and once expressed his desire to "shave" the heads of some kids and his intention "to put a jail at the school."

Additionally, the ex-employee claimed that in December 2022, during a dinner with West at Nobu Malibu, the rapper made derogatory remarks about Jews, calling them "miserly" and even going so far as to call Adolf Hitler "an innovator." West also allegedly deemed the Holocaust "fake."

Away from his lawsuit issues, West recently came under fire for announcing that he had an adult film studio in the works via a six-second clip on X with the phrase, "Yeezy Porn Is Cumming.".

Many questioned why he was making a U-turn on his supposed spiritual stance and his previous messages about how porn destroyed his family.

Amid the backlash, the rapper deleted his social media accounts, although several individuals claimed that it was temporary and that he would return soon.

It was rumored that West planned to work with adult film producer Mike Moz to bring the studio to life and serve as its producer.

Moz was previously married to adult film star Stormy Daniels and worked with her on the X-rated film "Operation: Desert Storm." Moz also worked as a producer on the 20013 documentary "Aroused," where 16 porn stars discussed their personal lives on camera.