Rapper Kanye West’s on-and-off political operation is back on, with right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at the helm once again five months after being ousted by his far-right rivals.
West’s virulently anti-Semitic media tour last year generated headlines more for West’s dinner with white supremacist leader Nick Fuentes and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and his effusive praise for Adolf Hitler than for any concrete political moves. Last month, a filmmaker hired by West said the rapper had lost interest in becoming any candidate for office, claiming that West said “I just want to be left alone.”
But now two sources close to West’s political operation tell The Daily Beast that he’s once again interested in politics, and is bringing Yiannopoulos back into his orbit while pushing two other far-right leaders out.
Yiannopoulos’s return as West’s “director of political operations” marks the latest twist in the treacherous internal politics of West’s political shop. Yiannopoulos was the first far-right figure associated with West’s potential presidential ambitions last year, dining with Trump, West, and Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago. But Yiannopoulos found himself pushed out in early December, replaced by Fuentes and Jan. 6 rally organizer Ali Alexander.
Now, according to sources affiliated with West, the tables have turned once again.
“Ye is an artist of distinction, refinement and taste, so naturally for this next chapter of his political endeavors he has ditched the Nutella and cracked out the caviar,” Yiannopoulos told The Daily Beast in a text message.
In Wednesday night emails to Fuentes and Alexander that were reviewed by The Daily Beast, Yiannopoulos told his one-time friends that he was now back in charge of West’s political operations. Fuentes and Alexander, in Yiannopoulos’s telling, were fired. In exchange, Yiannopoulos offered them the prospect of unpaid “advisor” roles, but forbade them from acknowledging any connection to West publicly.
“Your services on Ye’s exploratory team are terminated as of this letter, and will not be required for any possible future campaign,” Yiannopoulos wrote.
In an email to The Daily Beast, Alexander said Yiannopoulos was “full of shit” and declined to comment on whether he’s still working for West.
“I don’t discuss my friendship with Ye or others to the press,” Alexander wrote. “He is a genius and samples many views from many people.”
Fuentes and representatives for West didn’t respond to requests for comment.
While West’s political ambitions are unclear, appearing with the rap megastar provided Yiannopoulos, Alexander, and Fuentes with an enormous platform for their own political ambitions, especially after the Mar-a-Lago dinner with Trump.
Working for West was also potentially very lucrative. After being fired from the operation, Yiannopoulos invoiced West for more than $100,000 for just a few weeks of work, and was ultimately paid roughly $40,000. Fuentes, meanwhile, has received more than $30,000 from West’s operation, according to campaign finance records.
Since last year’s media frenzy around West and his anti-Semitic remarks, Alexander has been hamstrung by allegations that he asked teenage boys for nude pictures. In April, Alexander apologized broadly for sending “inappropriate messages.”
In his Wednesday email to Alexander, Yiannopoulos added that Alexander would not be “permitted physical access to the candidate or any staff or volunteers in our organization from this moment.”
