Ye's Donda Academy Closes For The Year Amid Backlash

NORTHRIDGE-CHATSWORTH, CA — Ye's Donda Academy shut for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year, the most recent move in days-long fallout after the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, made antisemitic comments.

According to an email obtained by Hollywood Unlocked, Ye's new private school closed Thursday for the remainder of the year "at the discretion of our Founder." The email was sent Donda Academy families Wednesday, warning parents there would be no school the next morning.

"We intend to begin afresh in September of 2023, and we are confident that our scholars will continue to advance as the creative innovators, courageous influencers and academic leaders of the next generation," the email reads.

The decision to close came just after Donda's basketball team was barred from a number of key tournaments, including the Spalding Hoophall Classic and Play by Play Classics, the Los Angeles Times reported.

READ MORE: Kanye West Escorted Out Of Skechers HQ After Showing Up Uninvited

Ye seemingly confirmed the closure in a since-deleted Instagram post, Insider reported. "Here's the clout you're looking for... My school is being shut down," Ye wrote in a post directed to the CEO of Hollywood Unlocked.

The school's closure is just the latest in the fallout from Ye's antisemitic comments on Twitter and in interviews. The Gap, Balenciaga, Adidas, Creative Arts Agency, Foot Locker and more have cut ties with Ye following the remarks. Ye stirred up trouble in Manhattan Beach Wednesday when he showed up at the Skechers corporate office uninvited.

Donda Academy, a K-8 private school, opened in 2021 in Simi Valley, according to the California Department of Education. The school's inaugural class had 21 students and this year's incoming classes have roughly 100, notably excluding Ye's own kids, Rolling Stone reported.

SEE ALSO: Inside Donda Academy, Ye's New Private School In Los Angeles