The parent company of social media platform Parler and American rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, have agreed to terminate the intent of the sale of Parler, in line with an announcement from Parlement Technologies on Thursday.
“This decision was made within the interest of each parties in mid-November,” the corporate said in an announcement. “Parler will proceed to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community.”
Parlement Technologies and Ye had announced plans for the deal in October. On the time the corporate said it expected the deal to shut throughout the fourth quarter of 2022.
Ye has been criticized in recent months for making anti-Semitic remarks. On Nov. 22, he dined with former President Donald Trump at Trump’s private club in Florida together with Nick Fuentes, a distinguished white supremacist.
In September, Ye terminated his partnership with apparel retailer Gap. German sporting goods maker Adidas terminated its partnership with Ye in October.
Parler, which launched in 2018, has been reinstated on Google and Apple’s app stores after being removed following the US Capitol riots in January 2021. Parler is considered one of several social media platforms, including Gettr, Gab and Truth Social, that have positioned themselves as free-speech alternatives to Twitter prior to its latest ownership under billionaire Elon Musk.