Kanye West Desired to Have a ‘Jail’ at His School and Wanted Students’ Heads Shaved, Lawsuit Claims

It appears Kanye West might not be the most ideal boss. Trevor Phillips, a former employee at West's Donda Academy and Yeezy fashion brand, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging that West engaged in racism, homophobia, antisemitism, and harassment towards the school's students and staff, as reported by HuffPost. Phillips also claimed that West made discriminatory comments and likened himself to Adolf Hitler while managing his private school. Allegedly, West wanted children to be confined in cages and have their heads shaved.

Phillips also accused West of fostering a hostile work environment and retaliating against him when he raised concerns about unsafe conditions and other problems at Donda Academy. According to the lawsuit, Phillips was initially hired by the rapper to work on Yeezy in November 2022, a time when many businesses were severing ties with West due to his public antisemitic outbursts. Phillips also claimed that during his time at the school, he heard West make derogatory remarks about gay and Jewish individuals. Additionally, he witnessed the rapper treating Black staff members at the school unfairly.

As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the lawsuit read, "From the start of Phillips’ tenure working at Yeezy and Donda, it was immediately apparent to him, and others, that Kanye treated the Black staff considerably worse than white employees. Even when class was in session, Kanye would scream and berate Black employees, while never even as much raising his tone at the white staff." While speaking about two students, Phillips claimed that West “wanted them to shave their heads and that he intended to put a jail at the school — and that they could be locked in cages.”

When Phillips raised issues about West's behavior, things got even worse. The suit says the rapper “responded mercilessly, with incessant harassment, humiliation, and attempts to both mentally control, and destroy, Phillips.” In Phillips' lawsuit, he also alleged that West seemed to dismiss and rehire him randomly, but his final dismissal occurred during a Sunday service at the school last May. Phillips claims that during the altercation, West confronted him about a garden project and yelled at him. In front of several people, West shouted, “I was going to punch you in the face."

Additionally, Phillips is also pursuing over $35,000 in damages, as stated in the complaint. The lawsuit also stated that West "spew forth hate, profess antisemitic tropes and lies, threaten the LGBTQ+ community, and even on one occasion, almost sexually stimulate himself." In the meantime, Phillips isn't the sole individual pursuing legal recourse concerning West and Donda Academy. Three former teachers and a former assistant principal have also filed lawsuits, claiming discrimination and wrongful termination. Their grievances have unveiled peculiar aspects of Donda Academy, including purportedly serving sushi for lunch and implementing a ban on chairs on campus.