Watch CBS News

Kanye West suspended from Instagram after racial slurs against Trevor Noah

Kanye West has been temporarily suspended from Instagram after posting racial slurs targeting "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah, a spokesperson for parent company Meta confirmed Wednesday. A Meta spokesperson told CBS News that West violated policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment, and he can't post on Instagram for 24 hours. 

West was responding to a segment on Noah's show from Tuesday that discussed West and ex-wife Kim Kardashian's post-divorce tension. During the clip, Noah accused West of harassing Kardashian and related the domestic abuse he witnessed through his mother, who was shot in the head by his stepfather after their divorce. 

"What she's going through is terrifying to watch and shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave," Noah said. 

The Kim-Kanye-Pete Controversy | The Daily Show by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on YouTube

West wrote racial slurs — "Koon baya" — pointed at Trevor in a now-deleted Instagram post on Wednesday, according to the Wrap. Noah later responded to the post, both praising and expressing concern for West, whose first name was legally changed to Ye last year.

"There are few artists who have had more of an impact on me than you Ye. You took samples and turned them into symphonies," he said, listing specific ways the rapper's work has affected him. "You're an indelible part of my life Ye. Which is why it breaks my heart to see you like this." 

"Oh and as for Koon…clearly some people graduate but we still stupid," Noah wrote. "Don't ever forget, the biggest trick racists ever played on black people was teaching us to strip each other of our blackness whenever we disagree. Tricking us into dividing ourselves up into splinters so that we would never unite into a powerful rod. ✊🏽"

West's suspension on Instagram also comes as he and comedian Pete Davidson — Kardashian's boyfriend — have embroiled in a feud on social media, with Davidson pleading with West to leave Kardashian alone and West saying he's afraid Kardashian will be "hooked on drugs" because she's with him. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.