Kanye West Had His Honorary Art Degree Revoked Over "Disgusting and Condemnable" Comments

Content warning: This article mentions hate speech directed at Black and Jewish communities.

In May 2015, disgraced rapper Ye, aka Kanye West, was awarded an honorary doctorate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in recognition of his impact on music, fashion, and popular culture. At the time, the honor was widely celebrated.

However, in recent years, public sentiment has shifted — and the "Heartless" singer is no longer met with the same admiration.

Over the years, Ye's outspoken opinions have sparked a number of controversies, leading to the loss of several sponsorships and partnerships. To make matters worse, his honorary art degree was eventually revoked. Here's why that happened.

On Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago announced it had rescinded the honorary doctorate given to Kanye West. This decision came in response to his ongoing offensive remarks about Black and Jewish people.

At the time, SAIC president Elissa Tenny explained in a statement obtained by TMZ that the honorary degree was granted in 2015 for Kanye's artistic accomplishments. However, his subsequent "disturbing behavior" and "dangerous statements," particularly toward Black and Jewish communities, were in direct conflict with the institution's values.

Elissa criticized his "anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements," calling them "disgusting and condemnable." She added that while the decision was difficult, Kanye's actions and behavior were ultimately "indefensible."

The statement continued, "After hearing from many of you, and conferring with the Board of Governors, the honorary degree awarded to Kanye West has been rescinded. ... Though we firmly believe in the right to express a diversity of opinions and beliefs, the severity of his behavior made it clear that rescinding this honor was appropriate."

The school's decision came one week after a group from the SAIC community launched an online petition on change.org, urging then-president Elissa Tenny to immediately revoke the honorary degree due to the "Stronger" rapper's hate speech.

"This award bestows the legitimacy and luster of the School on a figure who has in recent months made repeated public statements expressing and justifying anti-Semitism," the petition stated. "Regardless of his contributions prior to receipt of this award, it is harmful to allow Ye, as he is presently known, to continue to use the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to help legitimize hatred and violence."

"This harm impacts the artists, designers and scholars affiliated to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their values of justice, compassion, and free expression without hatred," the petition added. "This harm impacts Jews, whose lives are put at direct risk by the mainstreaming of anti-Semitic views. This harm impacts all oppressed peoples, who stand to suffer when intimidation and deadly violence against people on the basis of their identity are made justifiable."

Fortunately, Elissa took the necessary action and followed through with the decision.