Michaela Efford claims in her lawsuit that she didn't give the rapper permission to use her work to troll Gabriella Karefa-Johnson after the latter criticized his 'White Lives Matter' T-shirts.
- Jun 10, 2023
AceShowbiz - Kanye West faces another lawsuit. Michaela Efford sued the "Donda" artist for his unauthorized use of her work to diss Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, a Vogue editor, on social media back in 2022.
TMZ reported that Michaela didn't give the rapper permission to use her work to troll Gabriella after the latter called his "White Lives Matter" T-shirts "dangerous" and "irresponsible." Michaela claimed that by Kanye posting the photo without her permission, it has harmed her ability to market.
She also noted that the rapper's action made money off the snapshot, which was taken in September 2022. Michael is now seeking unspecified damages over it.
Last year, Ye was involved in an online back-and-forth with Gabriella. Making use of his Instagram page, the 46-year-old star mocked Gabriella during his online rant by writing, "This is not a fashion person You speak on Ye Ima speak on you Ask Trevor Noah."
In response to Ye's diss, Gabriella posted on Instagram Stories, "I've fielded some serious volatility over the last couple days but nothing has been quite as bad as what people have said about my body and the way I look. The fat phobia JUMPED out. Yes, I am fat. No, I am not humiliated to show up as my authentic self in the world."
She also thanked those who came to her defense and supported her. "Today literally said 'Hiiiii-yah!' *roundhouse kick to the face, very Mortal Kombat," she wrote at the time. "Your girl has been through it! I'm exhausted, but I am so moved by and grateful for the outpouring of love I've received (here and elsewhere) over the last 24 hours. I feel so blessed to belong to a community that would show up for me like this."
The fashion editor added that she'll continue to use her voice. "One thing about me: I will always speak my mind, and always try to honor my truth," she noted. "My thoughts are my own, and I stand by them. Thank you all for supporting me in that."
The drama between Gabriella and the Yeezy designer started after she called out the former husband of Kim Kardashian for debuting the controversial "White Lives Matter" T-shirt during his YZY SZN 9 runway show in Paris. "the t-shirts this man conceived, produced, and shared with the world are pure violence," she said, before adding that it's "incredibly irresponsible and dangerous" and that "there is no excuse, there is no art here."
