Controversial rapper Kanye West has just been stripped of his honorary degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, multiple sources have reported.
The 45-year-old musician has been causing scandal after scandal in the past few months - including wearing White Lives Matter T-shirts at Paris Fashion Week, declaring he would go "Death Con 3 on Jewish people," and even stating that he admired Hitler.
As a result of his unpredictable behavior, numerous brands have severed ties with West (who now goes simply by Ye) - including Vogue, Balenciaga, Adidas, and Gap.
Now, it seems the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is choosing to also distance itself, after first gifting Ye the prestigious honor in 2015. CBS Chicago reported that the school had made their decision based on the father-of-four's: "Anti-Black, antisemitic and incendiary statements."
In a statement first published by TMZ, the school wrote: "[Ye's] words and actions have been painful for our entire community and, particularly, for those of us who feel that our identities and life experiences are under attack. As a community, we know that there are varying opinions on what our School's response should be - even as we all agree that his behavior is indefensible."
It continued: "While the School grants honorary degrees to individuals based on their contributions to art and culture as of a moment in time, his actions do not align with SAIC's mission and values. After hearing from many of you, and conferring with the Board of Governors, the honorary degree awarded to Kanye West has been rescinded."
"This was a difficult decision to make, and one that has been deliberated thoroughly. There is no precedent in SAIC's more than 80 years of granting honorary degrees for rescinding one [...] Though we firmly believe in the right to express a diversity of opinions and beliefs, the severity of his behavior made it clear that rescinding this honor was appropriate," the school's statement concluded.
CBS reported that the school may have been forced to act after a change.org petition by "Against Hate at SAIC" called for the institution to revoke the honorary degree. It received over 4,100 signatures before being closed on Thursday (December 8) after claiming "victory."
Many of Ye's controversial statements caused him to be removed from both Instagram and Twitter. New Twitter CEO Elon Musk lifted the ban, only to remove Ye once again after he posted an image of a swastika.
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