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Kanye West’s Ex-Donda Academy Worker Alleges He Was Fired for Refusing to Shave His Head; Now He’s Seeking $23 Million in Lawsuit

Posted byBy Angelina Velasquez | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Kanye West is rebuilding his music career, but his foray into education is still causing problems.

The hitmaker founded Donda Academy in 2021, opening its Simi Valley campus to students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

It officially closed in 2024 amid mounting lawsuits alleging wrongful termination, harassment, restrictive rules — including limiting meals to sushi — and other issues.

Kanye West gets sued by another former Donda Academy employee who alleges he was discriminated against. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

The “Bully” rapper is currently touring across multiple continents, but his latest legal troubles could shift attention away from music.

A former school guard filed a $23 million lawsuit against the artist, Yeezy LLC, and the shuttered school. The lawsuit alleges discrimination.

Report: Two Ex-Donda Academy Teachers Sue Kanye West for Wrongful Termination, Alleges Black History Books Were Banned, Students Had No Chairs and Were Only Fed Sushi for Lunch

Benjamin Provo, a Black Muslim man, initially filed his civil grievance in April 2024. He alleged that supervisors repeatedly targeted his dreadlocks before firing him.

West allegedly fired Provo after he refused to cut his dreadlocks for religious reasons. Provo also claimed West said he “hated” the hairstyle and demanded that he shave his head.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the CROWN Act into law in 2019 and it went into effect the following year. The legislation makes hair discrimination illegal in schools and workplaces.

Milo Yiannopoulos, West’s former chief of staff, gave a deposition as part of the case.

According to TMZ, he testified that employees with “really thin skin about racially charged remarks … this really is not the company for you.'”

He also said, “If you’re working at Yeezy between 2023 and 2024, you must accept the provocative way Ye talked about religion.”

Moreover, Yiannopoulos harped that “Yeezy doesn’t support any type of ‘woke’ code of conduct for employees mandating acceptable speech.”

The Grammy winner pushed back against Provo’s claim, saying a third-party company hired the guard.

A nonjury trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 12 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The latest headline involving the rapper has plenty of people weighing in on the matter. One Facebook user suggested, “They need to put a cap on these ridiculous lawsuits.”

A second commenter said that “sounds about right from YE.” While a third individual remarked, “I believe it, he proved he’s full of self hate.”

“You can’t discriminate against hair styles,” blasted a fourth person.

Provo’s filing also accuses West of ordering the removal of books about influential Black figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. West purportedly believed doing so would prevent “the indoctrination that creates the group think mindset.”

The lawsuit also accused him of favoring white employees while berating Black staffers.

The allegations brought by Provo coincide with a wave of civil lawsuits from former employee Trevor Phillips, teachers Cecilia Hailey, Chekarey Byers and Timanii Meeks, and assistant principal Isaiah Meadows.

Hailey, Byers, Meeks, and the school reached a settlement last year in their 2023 wrongful termination case.

Meadows claimed the school wrongfully terminated him in 2022 after he raised safety and pay concerns. A judge granted default judgment in 2024.

Phillips’ legal battle remains unresolved. His lawsuit accused the entertainer of discriminatory actions and using antisemitic speech. The latter charge became public when West severed business relationships in 2023.

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