February 9, 2025: Actor David Schwimmer has taken a firm stance against Kanye West’s recent antisemitic remarks, urging X owner Elon Musk to take immediate action and ban the rapper from the platform. Schwimmer, known for his role in Friends and his outspoken advocacy against antisemitism, voiced his concerns on Instagram regarding West’s inflammatory posts.
West, who has over 32 million followers on X, has been repeatedly posting disturbing content that includes praise for Adolf Hitler, endorsement of Nazi ideology, and the promotion of hate symbols like the swastika. These posts come shortly after a highly criticized incident at the Grammy Awards, where West’s wife, Bianca Censori, caused a stir by revealing her nude body in a transparent dress. Following this, West has intensified his social media tirade, attacking marginalized groups and spreading harmful, debunked beliefs.
Schwimmer directly addressed Musk in a post, saying, “We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate-filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr Musk.” The actor highlighted the seriousness of the situation, noting that West’s platform allows him to influence millions, with a reach larger than the entire Jewish population worldwide. “Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice as many people as the number of Jews in existence. His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews,” Schwimmer pointed out.
In his post, Schwimmer also criticized the lack of consequences for West’s behavior, referencing the hypocrisy in social media moderation. He noted that similar content in recent years would have led to account suspensions, yet West’s account remains active. West was previously banned from X in late 2022 for similar offensive content, including posting a swastika. However, after Musk’s acquisition of the platform, moderation guidelines have been relaxed, leading to the reinstatement of previously banned accounts.
Schwimmer questioned the public’s lack of outrage over the situation, asking, “What’s worse—the fact that he identifies as a Nazi or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point?” While a few celebrities, such as Meghan McCain, have condemned West’s behavior, the public reaction has not been as vocal as in the past.
Schwimmer’s plea reflects growing concerns about the platform’s commitment to addressing hate speech and harmful content. With the influence of social media personalities continuing to rise, the debate about free speech and the responsibility of platforms to combat harmful rhetoric remains a pressing issue.