KISS's Paul Stanley Says Mental Illness Doesn't Justify Kanye West's Antisemitism

"Mental illness IS a disease but should NEVER be used to minimize the danger of hate speech"

Photo: Raph_PH (left)

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Oct 12, 2022

As we're all aware, Kanye West is on one — and he has been for quite some time, but the rapper's blatantly hateful commentary has really ramped up as of late. Paul Stanley of KISS thinks people are being awfully quiet about it, and has reminded us that, being in the throes of mental illness aside, West's abhorrent antisemitic remarks are inexcusable.

Though he didn't name him explicitly, the attached photo of the rapper makes it a pretty safe bet beyond conjecture; Stanley took to Twitter yesterday (October 11) to respond to Ye's since-deleted antisemitic posts about "going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE" — an unintelligible sentiment he so kindly shared on social media this past weekend, resulting in his accounts being restricted.

"Mental illness IS a disease but should NEVER be used to minimize the danger of hate speech, advocating antisemitism and violence against religions or ethnicities," the KISS guitarist and co-founder wrote. "We have found ways over centuries to rationalize their behaviour and viewed the atrocities that followed," he said of generations of antisemitic sentiment, adding: "SPEAK UP!"
 
 
Stanley taking a stand for his community follows Jack Antonoff taking a page out of the Phoebe Bridgers bible and calling West a "little bitch" onstage in Columbia, MO, in an impromptu speech slamming West's antisemitism.

"That is not to say that I dig antisemitism or bigotry from people making good records," the Bleachers bandleader said, after calling out the rapper's "far from good" work. "But the difference between the man on my block who just yells shit at me and some other asshole is that he doesn't make good records, the man on my block," Antonoff added, seemingly in reference to the Yeezy fans who have been either delusionally defending a bigot or quietly looping Graduation from their hidey-holes.

In addition to his social media activity, West's recent unaired appearances on Tucker Carlson Tonight and LeBron James-produced program The Shop were also reportedly rife with hate speech and conspiracy.

Latest Coverage