Kanye West has recently had a resurgence, thanks to his new album Vultures. Vultures 1 has since been a success, hitting the number-one spot on the Billboard 200 chart. "Carnival," also reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, marking West's first chart-topper in 13 years. Nonetheless, the album’s success may have been shadowed by scandal. Ye and his accolades and reviews are currently drowning in public comments about his alleged misfiring of YesJulz, a former Yeezy employee.
On March 12, Ye confirmed that his company YZY and YesJulz had parted ways on his Instagram Story. We have decided to no longer have YesJulz involved in the rollout of Vultures. All the activity on her page and with our fans in the past few days has been unauthorized.” his Story read. Now, it’s been reported that he filed an $8 million lawsuit against the controversial influencer and talent manager.
YesJulz Gets Fired
Recently, YesJulz helped promote Vultures, the recent project by Ye and Ty Dolla Sign. Not only was she in attendance at the album’s listening events, but YesJulz’s role with West’s company YZY seemed to involve planning, promoting, and live streaming. She also promoted outfits from his Vultures collection. However, a message appeared online -- an alleged email from Ye's Chief Of Staff, right-wing pundit Milo Yiannopolis -- that stated she was being fired from Yeezy. Additionally, he stated that she incurred $7.7 million in fines after allegedly violating her NDA agreement. Ye later shared a message on his Instagram Story confirming that YesJulz would no longer work for Yeezy.
The Alleged NDA Breach
Not standing down from a potential multi-million dollar lawsuit, YesJulz made a post on X, daring the company -- specifically Yiannopoulos -- to sue her. Then, she followed up with another post on her X account. This time, she shared a screenshot of a letter Yiannopoulos apparently signed. The letter in question read “Dear Julieanne…Obviously, you have been fired.” Aside from Yiannopoulos’s termination letter, there was a second announcement declaring intent to sue her for $7.7 million. This is for allegedly going against the terms of an NDA she had signed and apparently breached.
The letter read that: “[YesJulz] has repeatedly, intentionally, and grossly violated the terms of her Non-Disclosure Agreement with Claimants, including publicly disclosing corporate sales figures, social media strategies, text messages with Ye and management, release plans for the Vultures album, and product designs before release.”
Furthermore, the letter stated that YesJulz had incurred these fines while she worked for Yeezy as a “contractor.” It was first alleged that YesJulz contacted Ye’s fans online, which went against her NDA. However, even more serious claims have been made since then. YesJulz allegedly revealed information via Snapchat about a song on Vultures initially intended for Nicki Minaj but was later sent to Ice Spice and Doja Cat.
YesJulz’s Defense
She did not immediately respond to these allegations. On March 19, however, YesJulz threatened to sue a Ye fan account for slander. Moreover, she claimed she never signed the NDA presented. It is unclear why Yeezy would have continued to work with or disclose important information to YesJulz after she had allegedly not signed their NDA. A few hours later, the fan account was quoted by YesJulz, who would post screenshots of an NDA allegedly signed in YesJulz’s name. This has not been confirmed by either Ye or YesJulz though.
YesJulz began to retaliate against her former employers -- and specifically Milo Yiannopoulos -- on social media platforms almost immediately. She alleged that he was in control over hirings, firings, and payment schedules at YZY, not Ye. She also shared snippets of text conversations with Yiannopoulos. One of these snippets included Yiannopoulos referring to Kanye West’s fanbase as “down syndrome megafans” with “developmental disorders.”
Moreover, YesJulz went on Snapchat to describe how her role with Ye primarily involved assisting with logistical arrangements for events. She also described how she was intentionally thwarted from performing her job on multiple occasions, from claims that she was excluded from planning processes, and was frequently left with little organizing time. She claimed she was also excluded from those who would board the private jet.
Finally, YesJulz made sure to clarify that all of the people within Ye’s team were men. She cited a specific instance where she had meticulously planned a high-budget listening party at Factory Town. However, the event was relocated behind her back to a subpar venue: a flea market at Wynwood. YesJulz is yet to speak ill against Ye, so they either had minimal contact or a cordial working relationship.
Is YesJulz In Any Legal Trouble?
Well, the short answer is not really. While she has shared her side on both Snapchat and X threads and spaces, an email screenshot, purportedly from Milo Yiannopoulos, appeared on her X account. Milo apparently expressed a willingness to re-employ her. However, YesJulz responded defiantly to him, demanding that while she was much willing to work with Ye, he would have to fire Milo and the other “homophobic, racist, pedophilic” members of his staff. The fact that Yiannopoulos is willing to reconsider her employment might indicate that Ye is trying to avoid complicating the issue.
It’s also worth mentioning that the statement, which made mention of YesJulz’s $7.7 million fines, suggests the involvement of alternative dispute resolution. This means that an impartial third party can engage both parties without ever having to resort to court proceedings. So, although some sources speculate that Ye's statement implies legal action against YesJulz, it's important to emphasize that arbitration, unlike litigation, aims to resolve disputes privately, outside of court, with the primary goal of reaching a settlement.
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