Welp, it finally happened: Kanye West has lost his Instagram privileges. The rapper has been suspended from the app and while the suspension is set to last only 24 hours, it sets a precedent that the social media service says could lead to them taking additional steps if he keeps violating their terms of service. While Kanye has been repeatedly using his Instagram feed to air out his dirty laundry and general grievances towards his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her new boyfriend Pete Davidson, it seems the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back were racist slurs directed at The Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
Yesterday, Noah used a segment on The Daily Show to express a cautionary tale regarding West’s repeated harassment of Kardashian. He cited how this type of behavior directed towards women is incredibly problematic and can lead to far worse things down the road. Noah got personal in describing how his mother was told she was “overreacting” when she complained about her abusive partner. She was later shot in the back of the head. While Noah presents an extreme example, it’s the pattern of behavior that he finds concerning with Kanye — and let’s be honest, everyone else sees it too.
Following the segment, Kanye took to Instagram to post photos of Noah. He captioned the post with the lyrics to “Kumbaya, my lord,” but swapped out one word for a racial slur. An Instagram spokesperson told TMZ that this post and others “violated Instagram’s policies on hate speech, harassment and bullying.” So for the next 24 hours, the world will finally get a break from the veritable train wreck that has been @kanywest on Instagram. Here’s hoping he comes back a different person, or at the very least, a more respectful Instagrammer.