Kanye West is facing serious allegations from model Jennifer An, who claims the rapper assaulted her on the set of La Roux's "In for the Kill" music video in 2010. According to Rolling Stone, An—a finalist on America's Next Top Model's 2009 season—has spoken to the BBC about the alleged incident.
"All of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me," An told the BBC. "And then, he pulled his other hand out and starts choking me with both hands, and then starts smearing my makeup all over my face and sticking his hands inside of my mouth."
West allegedly justified his actions as art, yelling "this is art, I'm Picasso" after the incident. Production staff watched without intervening. An said she was too afraid to speak up, worried she'd lose her job.
An filed a civil lawsuit in 2024 under New York City's Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which extended the statute of limitations for sexual violence cases. West's legal team argues his behavior was "artistic expression" protected by the First Amendment and compares it to a scene from American Psycho.
La Roux weighed in when An reached out in 2024, writing in an Instagram message that she remembered West's alleged behavior and called it "horrific." The footage was cut from the final music video.
An's lawyer, Jesse Weinstein, told the BBC that West's attempt to shield himself behind artistic freedom "was a really dangerous precedent to set." West's representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment.
