Kanye West faces $23MILLION lawsuit from ex-worker at Donda Academy claiming he faced discrimination over dreadlocks

A one-time employee of Kanye West says that he faced discrimination during his time working for the rapper's Donda Academy, in a case headed to trial next month.

Benjamin Provo has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against West, his Yeezy LLC, and Donda Academy Incorporated, according to legal documents reviewed by The Daily Mail, asking for $23 million in damages.

Provo, who is Black and Muslim, said in legal documents that he had been instructed to cut off his dreadlocks during his time working for West in 2022, and was terminated from the position when he refused to.

Provo, who initially filed the case in April of 2024, told the court that he had worked as a security guard for the Donda Academy for three years.

He told the court that West and his team 'hated his hair' and 'demanded that he shave his head.'

West through his legal team has denied all of the claims made by Provo.

The Daily Mail has reached out to legal representatives for both parties and West's one-time chief of staff Milo Yiannopoulos for further comment on the story. 

Provo said in legal docs that he grew out his dreadlocks 'for over a decade and cherished [them] as a symbol of his Black culture and Muslim faith.'

In legal docs, Provo said that Yiannopoulos had previously provided testimony that revealed the organization's dynamics regarding racial discussions for employees.

Yiannopoulos said, according to Provo's filing, 'If you have really thin skin about racially charged remarks… this really is not the company for you.'

Provo said in legal documents that Yiannopoulos said, 'If you’re working at Yeezy between 2023 and 2024, you must accept the provocative way Ye talked about religion.'  

He said in legal docs that Yiannopoulos, who was only outranked by West in the organization, had said of company policy: 'Yeezy doesn’t support any type of "woke" code of conduct for employees mandating acceptable speech.'

Provo told the court that West and his organization 'had no Human Resources department or policies intended to protect employees.' 

He said in his filing that West's organization 'maintained no policies regarding discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, nor did they provide any training on these subjects.'

Provo told the court that around mid-2023, West 'directed that anyone associated with Donda dispose of books related to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and other prominent figures in the Black community.'

West said the rationale behind this was to cease 'the indoctrination that creates the group think mindset,' Provo said in legal docs.

Provo said in his filing that West claimed he was 'very heavy into pushing that agenda' as a Christian.

Provo told the court that denials from West and his team that he was not their direct employee are 'demonstrably false,' as he had been 'hired by Donda Academy Inc., Yeezy LLC' and West in April of 2022.

In addition to his duties at the school, Provo said in his filing that he had also provided security for West, his Yeezy business and his Sunday Service events.

The trial in the case is slated to commence on October 12.