Camille Vasquez can defend Johnny Depp, but she draws the line at Ye (formerly Kanye West). Less than a week after it was reported that the lawyer, who became something of a TikTok star during Depp’s trial against Amber Heard, had been hired by Ye, a new report claims that Vasquez has dropped the rapper as a client.
Vasquez’s work with Ye was revealed on Friday — after Ye had debuted his “White Lives Matter” T-shirt, bullied a Vogue editor, declared “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE [sic],” and repeated the false claims that George Floyd’s death was caused by fentanyl, not police brutality. Originally, TMZ reported that Vasquez was one of a team of attorneys who would be representing him in business matters. The attorney, who gained international notoriety for her defense of Depp, who has been accused of sexual assault and domestic abuse, is no stranger to representing controversial men. But it seems something about West’s behavior over the weekend made Vasquez change her mind.
On Tuesday, TMZ reported that Vasquez had determined she could not work with the designer after he once again made antisemitic remarks. Her decision to part ways comes after Balenciaga, Vogue, CAA, Adidas, and Gap announced they were cutting ties with Ye in light of his antisemitic statements — developments that have reportedly caused his net worth to plummet by over $1 billion. Vasquez’s firm, Brown Rudnick, was reportedly still open to working with Ye as long as he retracted his antisemitic statements, but per TMZ, he refused.
Ye’s recent behavior has garnered backlash and concern, as some fear he may be exhibiting symptoms of mania. The rapper has been open about his bipolar disorder in the past, but recently dodged questions about his mental health.
The Cut reached out to Vasquez for comment and will update when we hear back.
