Kanye West is being sued by yet another former employee. Murphy Aficionado is suing the rapper and his companies, Yeezy LLC and Donda Academy, on claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
Aficionado worked as a project manager for Yeezy for nine months, during which time he says he experienced “unlawful termination” and no compensation for his work, per People magazine. Additionally, the former employee claims the rapper made discriminatory comments about his Filipino heritage, calling his traditional cultural tattoos “ugly.”
After joining the team in October 2022, Aficionado claims in the court filings that West “began to make his proud bigotry and antisemitism well-known” “almost immediately” into his employment. The rapper would allegedly “frequently make disparaging remarks about Jewish people: ‘The Jews are out to get me. They froze my bank account. The Jews got Kim [Kardashian] and my kids.’ [and] ‘The Jews convinced Kim [Kardashian]. She has Jewish masters.’”
Reportedly working 50-70 hours a week and being forced to sleep in the office on several occasions, the former employee also recalls being “summoned” for a work meeting in West’s hotel room at the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria in November 2022.
Upon arrival, he claims, “It was immediately obvious to Aficionado that [West’s wife Bianca] Censori and Ye were very recently having sex. [West then allegedly] commanded Aficionado to come in and sit down.” While in the hotel room, the “Flashing Lights” rapper reportedly left the door open to the connected bedroom, exposing his then-girlfriend, Bianca Censori’s breast. During the meeting, West reportedly called Candace Owens’ lawyer a “Jewish spy” when asking Aficionado for his opinion on the attorney who had just left.
“Abruptly and without warning, in the middle of their conversation, Ye dashed towards the room Censori was in. As he left Aficionado, Ye commanded: ‘Wait right here. Do NOT leave,’” the complaint notes, alleging that the couple resumed having sex in the adjoining bedroom.
When West rejoined the Yeezy project manager, he was allegedly wearing a t-shirt with a swastika design and asked, “Don’t you like my shirt?”
“Then randomly and without solicitation, Ye sat down with Aficionado, showing him nude photos of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian on his phone,” the claim continued.
Aficionado says he was asked to return to West’s room for another meeting later that week. During that meeting, he claims West and “a famous NFL wide receiver” were in their towels awaiting massages; and when Aficionado offered to leave, West “commanded” him to wait in the room. In the filings, the former Yeezy employee claims that West “had sex” with his masseuse. Shortly after West returned, “the NFL wide receiver went in for his ‘massage.’” The meeting was reportedly “extremely uncomfortable,” for Aficionado “especially while the NFL wide receiver could be heard in the background.”
In February 2023, Aficionado claims the rapper instructed him to “relocate [West’s] school, Donda Academy.” When informed about the required permits to do so, West “became irate and yelled that he would not accept waiting or using permits.” By July 2023, Donda Academy representatives claimed the school “would no longer be in operation,” and Aficionado says his Yeezy assignments “were revoked, and he was no longer welcome in the offices.”
The lawsuit claims that Aficionado’s termination caused economic and non-economic damages, punitive damages, malice, oppression, fraud, attorneys’ fees, and exhaustion of administrative remedies.
“Defendants violated these laws by failing to provide plaintiff’s last paycheck promptly and failing to pay penalties, including additional wages, interest, and fees,” the claim, which is demanding a jury trial added.
