David Schwimmer Urges Elon Musk Not To Give Kanye West’s Antisemitism “A Megaphone” With X: “Silence Is Complicity”

David Schwimmer is calling out Elon Musk for giving Kanye West’s antisemitism a platform with X.John Nacion/FilmMagic/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AFP

As Kanye West‘s antisemitic rant continues to light up X, David Schwimmer is calling on Elon Musk to take action.

The 3x Emmy nominee called out the social media mogul for “giving [West] a megaphone” with the social media platform, where the 24x Grammy winner previously caused outrage with a series of posts praising Hitler and claiming to be a Nazi.

“This is so 2022,” wrote Schwimmer on Instagram. “We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk. Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence. His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews.

“I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity,” he added.

Schwimmer’s post comes after the Yeezy mogul posted on X that he’s “never apologizing for my Jewish comments,” adding in a disturbing series of posts, “I’m a Nazi. Hitler was sooooo fresh.”

In response, the American Jewish Committee has condemned West for continuing to “purposefully use his platform to spew anti-Jewish hatred. While some may dismiss his hateful rants, we cannot overlook the dangerous influence they can have on his millions of followers, particularly on social media, where a significant portion of today’s antisemitism thrives. Hate, left unchecked, only multiplies. At a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing to terrifying levels worldwide, Ye is actively endangering Jews. We urge others with a platform like Ye’s – particularly in the entertainment industry – to call out this blatant hatred.”

Following a similar antisemitic rant in 2022, which raised concerns for West’s mental wellbeing, the artist released an apology in Hebrew the next year.

“I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community … It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” he said at the time. “I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”

Schwimmer’s plea might have fallen on deaf ears after Musk was also accused of antisemitism, giving what appeared to be a Nazi salute during a post-inauguration rally for President Donald Trump last month in Washington DC.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside DC’s Capitol One Arena.

Meanwhile, Musk’s stance on free speech and censorship leave little hope for potentially regulating hate speech on the platform, after he previously ripped into advertisers who pulled out of X in 2023 over his own amplification an antisemitic post.

“I think it’s important to have a freedom of speech platform where people from a wide range can express their views,” said Musk in June 2024. “And in some cases, there are advertisers who were insisting on censorship. If it’s a choice between censorship and money and free speech and losing money, we’re going to pick the second.”