Employees have filed a lawsuit against Kanye West and his former chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, in U.S. District Court, alleging they fostered a toxic workplace, TMZ reported.
The lawsuit alleges that the duo fostered a hostile and abusive work environment while managing the YZYVSN streaming service app. West launched the platform in spring 2024 to independently promote his albums “Vultures” and “Vultures 2,” bypassing established services like Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music, according to TMZ.
Kanye West Co. Sued Over ‘New Slaves’ Allegations, Bianca Allegedly Sent Porn to Staff | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/UiyI1a9Vcb
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 30, 2024
West and Yiannopoulos reportedly employed an international developer group, which included several black members and minors as young as 14, under alleged brutal working conditions, according to the lawsuit, TMZ stated. These employees, who mostly worked remotely using platforms like Discord, Zoom and Slack, were allegedly subjected to long hours without pay, racial harassment and threats. (RELATED: REPORT: Kanye West Named As Suspect In Battery Report For Allegedly Punching Man Who ‘Assaulted’ Wife)
Management reportedly used derogatory language, referring to team members as “slaves” and “new slaves,” and further degraded them based on their race, gender, sexual orientation and national origin, TMZ reported. The suit also alleges that West’s wife, Bianca Censori, exacerbated the hostile environment by sending porn videos to staff, videos that were accessible to minors involved in the project, according to TMZ. The complaint notes that while Censori is not named as a defendant, her actions contributed to the distress experienced by the team.
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 19: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) (L-R) Kanye West and Bianca Censori attend the Prototypes Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 19, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lyvans Boolaky/Getty Images)
The developers were originally promised $120,000 upon the app’s completion in April 2024, provided they agreed to the work terms and refrained from complaining, according to TMZ. However, the lawsuit alleges that the payment was never made, even though the employees met their obligations. Additionally, the employees were allegedly coerced into signing non-disclosure agreements, and minors were forced to sign “volunteer” agreements under threats of termination and non-payment.
