Kanye West Agrees To Buy Social Media App Parler

PARIS, France - American rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has agreed in principle to buy Parler, the social media platform popular among U.S. conservatives, parent company Parlement Technologies said on Monday.

Nashville - based Parler, which has raised about $56 million to date, said it expects to deal to close during the fourth quarter of 2022. It did not give a deal value.

Parler, which launched in 2018, has been reinstated on Google and Apple Inc's app stores after being removed following the U.S. Capitol riots in January 2021. Parler is one of several social media platforms, including Gettr, Gab, and Truth Social, that position themselves as free-speech alternatives to Twitter Inc.

Last month, Parler created a new parent company, Parlement Technologies Inc, as part of an overhaul.