Not so open and shut: Ye’s school reopens hours after abrupt close
Kanye West’s Christian prep school said it’s set to reopen “with a vengeance” just hours after announcing it would shutter amid fallout over the rapper’s anti-Semitic rants.
Parents and staff at the little-known Donda Academy in California’s Simi Valley reportedly got the change-of-plan letter late Wednesday — just four hours after they were told the school would close Thursday and remain shut for the rest of the year.
“Join us tomorrow morning in worship for the return of Donda Academy,” said the letter, obtained by TMZ. “With the help of our parents and community we are back and returning with a vengeance!”
“The children of Donda are going to change the world,” the letter went on. “Apologies for the late email! See you bright and early!”
The principal of the private school, which charges $15,000 a year, had sent a letter earlier in the night saying, “there is no school tomorrow,” the Times of London reported.
“At the discretion of our Founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately,” principal Jason Angell wrote.
He said the shutdown wasn’t permanent and that the school, which requires parents to sign non-disclosure agreements, was planning to open its doors in September 2023.
West posted on Instagram Thursday after the news of the reopening and shared a screenshot of rapper 50 Cent’s profile with a fake headline saying, “Curtis Jackson has reportedly cut ties with 50 Cent.” Curtis Jackson is 50 Cent’s real name.
“We got Donda school designs we need to build with 50 in Houston,” West wrote.
The bizarre closure and reopening comes after an avalanche of business deals and contracts were declared null and void following West’s hateful rants on social media.
The father of four, who legally changed his name to Ye, vowed to go “death con 3” on Jewish people. He was immediately banned from both Twitter and Instagram after the comments.
The remarks prompted former Donda Academy employee and Jewish educational consultant Tamar Andrews to hand in her notice on Oct. 11.
The school announcements also came hours after West paid an unplanned visit to Skechers’ corporate offices in Los Angeles Wednesday — only to be shown the door.
Skechers, which is operated by a Jewish family, issued a press release after West’s visit, reiterating he “arrived unannounced and without invitation.”
Despite Adidas, Balenciaga and Vogue severing their relationships with West, the “Flashing Lights” rapper maintains he’ll never be canceled.
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“I ain’t losing no money,” he told TMZ, shrugging. “The day I was taken off the Balenciaga site, that was one of the most freeing days. We here, baby, we ain’t going nowhere.”
Asked if he was sorry for his remarks, West told The Post columnist Piers Morgan last week: “No. Absolutely not.”