Running a school is no walk in the park — a lesson Kanye West is learning the hard way.
Former Donda Academy teachers Cecilia Hailey and her daughter, Chekarey Byers, are suing West (now known as Ye) and his Simi Valley private school for wrongful termination, discrimination and unlawful withholding of wages, among other allegations, according to a complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday (April 5).
According to a press release put out by the plaintiffs’ law firm, West Coast Employment Lawyers, the Christian school allegedly “violated education, health and safety codes, terminated educators based on race and retaliation, and failed to fully pay teachers.” Donda Academy directors Brianne Campbell, Allison Tidwell and Chris Julian are also named as defendants.
The complaint, obtained by Billboard and filed by attorneys Ronald L. Zambrano and Melineh Jingozian, claims the pre-K through 12th-grade school boasted a number of unusual rules and restrictions, allegedly demanded by West. They include not allowing common items such as crossword puzzles, coloring sheets, eating utensils, colorful clothing, dinnerware, jewelry, chairs and Nike or Adidas branded clothing. Students were also allegedly not allowed on the second floor of the school because West was “reportedly afraid of stairs” and also not allowed outside, instead forced to spend their lunch/recess time indoors.
The complaint further alleges that the only meal available to students was sushi and that they were not allowed to bring food from home. Byers and Hailey additionally accuse the school of turning a blind eye to “severe bullying,” including physical violence.
In the complaint, Hailey and Byers are identified as the only female African-American teachers at the school — something they say led to stereotyping and coded language from Donda Academy administrators. “I’m just tired of the rhetoric being that Black women who are competent are seen as aggressive,” Hailey said in a statement.
The complaint goes on to state that when Hailey expressed interest in reaching out to West, she was told not to. Both teachers also claim that their paychecks were “untimely or inaccurate,” with some never arriving and others reportedly short by up to $2,700.
“No action was taken to remedy plaintiffs’ complaints regarding sanitation, health, safety or education standard pursuant to local and state law, which plaintiffs made throughout the entirety of their employment,” the complaint reads. Hailey and Byers were ultimately terminated from the school in March, allegedly without explanation.
Hailey and Byers are asking for damages including unpaid wages, loss of earnings, deferred compensation and other employment benefits; general damages, including for “emotional distress”; other special damages, including “reasonable medical expenses”; punitive damages; prejudgment interest on lost wages and benefits; and costs of bringing the suit.
“We’re standing up because it’s the right thing to do,” Hailey continued in her statement. “This is not about trying to defame a celebrity. This is about the right thing to do for these children.”
“While his vision for the school sounds great on paper, it’s just pure chaos and mutiny,” Byers added.
Representatives for West and Donda Academy did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
Donda Academy — named after West’s late mother, Donda West — was founded last year. In October, there were reports of the school shutting down, but it is now accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year.
Even those who appeared to have “made it” often feel like they don’t belong amid the spoils of their success.
Indeed, imposter syndrome is something many artists grapple with, and singer/songwriter Quinn XCII is no different. The artist (whose name is pronounced “Quinn 92”) recently sat down with Billboard News to discuss the phenomenon and more.
“I definitely had it at Corden, for sure,” he says of his appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden earlier this year. “I think Corden was a moment where I was really self-reflective of like ‘Why are you guys here for me?’ … But I think it’s beautiful, though, because you have those sort of stop-and-smell-the-roses moments of reflection, and I think we need more of that.”
The Michigan-born, Los Angeles-based artist also discusses his latest album, The People’s Champ, his fifth album in six years, released Jan. 27 via Republic Records.
“I’ve noticed quite a bit more that strangers have been put on to my music,” he says. “I don’t know if that’s just persistence in making five albums, but it’s been great seeing the fans who have been with me since day one liking it, but also these new people who are coming to my music for the first time.”
He says the reason behind such a prolific numbers of albums over a short period of time is the therapeutic qualities that making music has for him. “Even if i’m just off the heels of a recent album, I’m ready to get back into album-making mode,” he says, “simply because it’s good for me.”
Four of Quinn XCII’s albums have charted on the Billboard 200, with From Michigan With Love reaching No. 90 in 2019, A Letter to My Younger Self hitting No. 56 in 2020, Change of Scenery II going to No. 69 in 2021 and The People’s Champ hitting No. 180 this past February.
Quinn XCII talks about his most recent album ‘The People’s Champ’, how he deals with imposter syndrome and more!
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Drake’s lifestyle brand October’s Very Own has teamed up with Everlast on a custom boxing kit for undefeated heavyweight boxer Jared Anderson.
The 23-year-old athlete will wear the fight gear during his Top Rank match at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday (April 8). Top Rank will simulcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday.
The fight card will feature a WEB lightweight title eliminator along with lightweight and heavyweight bouts between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino, Anderson and George Arias and Keyshawn Davis and Anthony Yigit.
Undercard fights, including Bruce Carrington vs. Brandon Chambers, Kelvin Davis vs. Nelson Morales and Antoine Cobb vs. Jaylan Phillips, will stream exclusively on ESPN+.
If you don’t have access to ESPN, you can stream Top Rank on ESPN+ but also through TV providers like Fubo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Verizon Fios.
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Stream UFC, NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB and more, plus hours of bingeable content including the entire 30 for 30 series, UFC fights, PPV and other live sporting events.
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See photos of the OVO x Everlast boxing kit below.
A life-sized cardboard cutout of Taylor Swift became a popular fixture in Cornbrook, England, as it was on display of an apartment building near the Metrolink stop since 2017.
However, the apartment owner Red Redmond is moving out and now auctioning the affectionately called “Tram Taylor,” for a good cause. In memory of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, a transgender girl who was stabbed to death in February in Culcheth Linear Park, proceeds for the sale will go to Mermaids, a British charity and advocacy organization that supports gender variant and transgender youth.
Redmond told BBC that Ghey’s death had a “big impact” on them, which is what inspired the decision to auction the cut-out.
Swift hasn’t publicly revealed if she’s aware of the auction, but the star is known for responding to fans. Last week, the superstar made a young Swiftie’s dream come true during The Eras tour stop in Las Vegas, when a seven-year-old named Bella set out on a mission to send her favorite singer a letter.
Her mother, Gina Lanzino, detailed the situation on TikTok. Upon arriving to the venue, Lanzino explained that Bella got an opening to have her letter delivered to Swift when she approached an usher, who agreed to try his best and deliver the note. Then, during the show, Bella and her mother receive a major update.
“We were about halfway through the show when some people came to our box and they were asking for Bella. I had actually forgot about the letter by that time, and I said, ‘That’s my daughter, what’s going on?’ And they say, ‘We wanted to give this to you,’ and it was the letter Bella gave to Taylor and she [Taylor] signed it. She [Bella] did write her section number on the back, but I really didn’t ever in a million years think that this was going to get returned to her. They filmed my daughter getting the letter back because they wanted to pass it back to Taylor.”


