Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
Entertainment

Did Kanye Really Lose 9.2M Followers Over Fierce Support for Trump? Twitter Explains

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

 

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989222392630202368

Kanye West’s online behavior continues to puzzle fans — including his overwhelming support for President Donald Trump. As such, reports emerged that the rapper’s follower count had dipped, but according to a Twitter spokesperson, that’s not true.

“We can confirm that Kanye’s follower count is currently at approximately 27 million followers,” the social media company said in a statement to The Verge Wednesday, April 25. “Any fluctuation that people might be seeing is an inconsistency and should be resolved soon.”

A tweet surfaced around midday Wednesday, claiming that West’s follower count dipped from 27.8 million to 18.6 million after he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap.

kanye loses followers

However, a glimpse of the “Saint Pablo” performer’s Twitter account today confirms Twitter’s statement about his actual follower count, which actually grew by 100,000.

Still, West’s proud adoration for Trump, which cropped up again after telling Hot 97’s Ebro Darden that he loves the president, has led to a backlash from fans.

“I hope your next album flops,” one tweeted.

“Wtf is wrong with you?” another asked. “Please tell me you’re not gonna have to hit rehab again.”

“Sad…you have multi-racial brown children,” another said. “If your son or daughter had an Armenian last name and no one knew who they were, he’d prob try to call them terrorists or Muslim not even realizing [the] diff between Armenia and [the] Middle East.”

Still, Ye defended his support for the president in a series of tweets, which won Trump’s approval.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989179757651574784

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989179949851463681

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989192498307219456

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989227154993963009

 

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top