Controversial rap superstar Kanye West is no longer buying Parler, the parent company of the far-right social media platform announced on Thursday.
The news about the aborted deal with West—who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021—was posted on Parler.
"In response to numerous media inquiries, Parlement Technologies would like to confirm that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler," the statement said.
The messaged continued, "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."
Parler made headlines in October when it announced that West was acquiring the platform following his Twitter and Instagram accounts being temporarily locked for posting antisemitic messages.
The announcement that the deal is off comes on the same day that the rap star was a guest on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' InfoWars show. During the appearance, West praised Adolf Hitler and said the genocidal Nazi regime was good for the world.
In early October, West received much backlash when he appeared at a fashion event in Paris wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt. Conservative pundit Candace Owens appeared with him at the event, donning a matching shirt. When news broke that West was purchasing Parler, news outlets pointed out that the CEO of Parler is Owens' husband, George Farmer.
When Parler announced the acquisition, Farmer and Owens heralded the news.
"October 17th: Ye day," Farmer wrote in a Parler post.
"Today in black history, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) became the first black man in the world to own a social media company," Owens wrote. "That's it. That's the headline."
Though West often shares messages across his social media accounts, he has been using Parler less in recent days. His last post on the platform came nearly a week ago. He's been much more active on Twitter, posting several tweets and retweets on Thursday following his appearance on InfoWars.
During the InfoWars segment, West was joined by Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and Holocaust denier. Fuentes also accompanied West to a dinner at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida last week. Though Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that he did not know who Fuentes was, the meeting has triggered much criticism of the former president.
Newsweek has reached out to West for comment.
Update 12/01/22 5:40 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
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