“Battered Bianca” Narrative Is “Absurd,” Says Rep of Kanye West and Wife
Bianca Censori and Kanye West’s longtime rep is attempting to clarify an aspect about their relationship.
A social media imposter, who has paid for verification, said on X on Super Bowl Sunday that the Australian model and designer at the Yeezy streetwear brand is the creative mind behind her headline-grabbing red carpet decisions — not her hip-hop and fashion mogul husband West, whose recent antisemitic social media tirade has culminated with his X account disappearing, while his brand’s website continues to promote the sale of one item: a T-shirt with an image of a swastika. (The image remained on sale at the time this story was published.)
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Censori, the 30-year-old Head of Architecture at Yeezy, West’s successful apparel company, courted controversy at the Grammys on Feb. 2 by donning a long coat at her red carpet arrival, then dropping it to reveal a nearly nude look underneath consisting of a sheer minidress and it appeared, no underwear. Sources clarified the look was meant to replicate the cover of Vultures 1, West’s recent album with Ty Dolla $ign released under the moniker ￥$; the rapper was quickly defending his wife’s outfit as the look claimed the top slot in post-Grammys web searches, but accusations began to fly that he was treating his partner like a promotional object.
“The ‘battered Bianca’ narrative is hysterical and absurd,” Milo Yiannopoulos, who has worked on and off at Yeezy and who represents the couple via his Tarantula talent management company, wrote to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. “There is a person controlling what Bianca Censori wears. The name of that person is Bianca Censori.”
Yiannopoulos further clarified that West, a creative force in the fashion world, is the “final boss,” but Censori’s sensibility is “the guiding creative intelligence and impetus behind the way she dresses.”
The former journalist and political pundit had reached out to THR over the weekend to say that the X post that was making headlines over that seemed to be a prayer for West was a Twitter imposter and not Censori herself, who chooses not to make any public comments or speak with the media. The rap mogul had spent the week prior on a social media tirade in which he praised Adolf Hitler and denounced the #MeToo movement before deleting his X account. Yiannopoulos told THR that the account that posted the prayer message does not belong to Censori and that X had been contacted to have the account “unverified and/or banned” from the platform.
“You can call yourself anything and then buy premium,” Yiannopoulos told THR on Monday, referring to X’s recent policy shift under its new ownership moving away from identifying users as “active, notable and authentic.” As the platform states, a blue check now “means that the account has an active subscription to X Premium and meets our eligibility requirements.” Those requirements state that blue check verified accounts “must have no signs of being misleading or deceptive” and “no signs of engaging in platform manipulation and spam.”
The phony Censori X account page, with the handle @bianca_censori, features a bio that reads: “Designer at Yeezy. A perspective from inside the world of Bianca Censori for discussions only. Thoughts inspired by Bianca Censori. Don’t sue me.”
The apparent parody post, still on X, reads: “Lord, I lift up my husband to You with love & concern. Soften his heart, guide his words, and fill him with wisdom and kindness. Protect him from trouble & lead him toward understanding & respect for all people. Despite our differences, I love him unconditionally. Strengthen our bond & help me be a source of patience & encouragement. I trust in Your grace to work in his heart. God Bless Israel and All The Good Jewish People. Amen.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, West appeared in a confounding ad for Yeezy that aired locally in Los Angeles during the Super Bowl toward the end of the big game. The rapper seems to have shot the spot on an iPhone’s front-facing camera, with medical sunglasses on while lying down at the dentist. “I spent like all the money for the commercial on these new teeth,” he says, showing off his diamond-encrusted chompers. “Once again I had to shoot it on the iPhone. Um…Um…. Go to Yeezy.com.”
On Sunday, Yeezy.com took users to the brand’s e-commerce page, where apparel and footwear, song snippets, CDs and vinyl records were for sale. On Monday, however, the sole item for sale on Yeezy.com was a white T-shirt with a black Nazi swastika emblazoned on the front; the cost is $20. This quickly prompted a response from the Anti-Defamation League, which sent its statement to THR denouncing West and the shirt. The swastika was adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the Nazis and galvanized his followers; today, it continues to threaten and instill fear in those targeted by antisemitism and white supremacy, the nonprofit explained.
“As if we needed further proof of Kanye’s antisemitism, he chose to put a single item for sale on his website – a t-shirt emblazoned with a swastika,” the ADL stated. “If that wasn’t enough, the t-shirt is labeled on Kanye’s website as ‘HH-01,’ which is code for ‘Heil Hitler.’ Kanye was tweeting vile antisemitism nonstop since last week. There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior. Even worse, Kanye advertised his website during the Super Bowl, amplifying it beyond his already massive social media audience.”
The organization similarly condemned West in an earlier statement last week.
THR also reached out to a rep for Yeezy for comment on the swastika t-shirt that remains for sale on Monday morning.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
