NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is set to acquire Parler, a right-wing social media app.
Parlement Technologies, the app’s parent company, made the announcement Monday morning stating they are “pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement in principle for Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to acquire the Parler platform.”
Parler, an app launched in 2018, became the popular alternative for conservative users who were on apps such as Twitter and Facebook after platforms started to flag untrue posts.
Parler’s CEO George Farmer said the deal will change the way the world views free speech and called the acquisition “groundbreaking.”
“This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech. Ye is making a groundbreaking move into the free speech media space and will never have to fear being removed from social media again,” he said.
Recently, the rapper, who is now legally known as Ye, was locked from using his Twitter and Instagram accounts after making antisemitic comments.
In one post on Twitter, Ye said he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” according to internet archive records, making an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
Ye is no stranger to controversy, once suggesting slavery was a choice and calling the COVID-19 vaccine “the mark of the beast.” Earlier this month, he was criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to his collection at Paris Fashion Week.
The potential purchase of Parler would give Ye control of a social media platform and a new outlet for his opinions with no gatekeeper.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a prepared statement.
Parler was recently granted permission to return to the app stores after it was removed from online stores following the violence that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, inside the U.S. Capitol.
In a press release, the platform said the terms of the proposed transaction would include ongoing technical support from Parlement and the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure.
Ye and Parler are expected to enter into a definitive purchase agreement and close during the fourth quarter of 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.