Kanye West Is Not Buying Parler

Back in October, Kanye West was set to buy the right-wing friendly social network Parler after both his Twitter and Instagram accounts were suspended for antisemitic posts. However, Parler owner Parlement Techonologies announced on Thursday (Dec. 1) that the deal will no longer happen.

Parlement Technologies and Ye “mutually” parted ways, according to a statement from the company received by TechCrunch. “This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November. Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community,” the statement read.

If the deal had gone through, Parler would have given Ye control of a social media platform and a whole outlet for his controversial 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,” he previously said in a prepared statement in October.

“This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech,” Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer also said at the time of the now-canceled deal.

However, ever since Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over control of Twitter last month, Ye has been reinstated to the social media platform. “Testing Testing Seeing if my Twitter is unblocked,” West tweeted out to his nearly 32 million followers on Nov. 20. In another tweet he wrote, “Shalom.” In early November, he said he would be taking a “fast” from speaking, alcohol, sex and porn.