Kanye West faces fresh controversy over model’s choking allegation

American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is facing fresh legal trouble after a model accused him of choking her and forcing inappropriate physical contact during a 2010 music video shoot in New York.

Jennifer An, a former contestant on America’s Next Top Model, alleged that the incident occurred while filming a cameo appearance for La Roux’s song In For The Kill at the Chelsea Hotel.

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According to the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast, An claimed she felt “suffocated, unsure and scared” during the encounter.

The model, who was 24 at the time, alleged that West unexpectedly grabbed her during filming and forced his fingers into her mouth to simulate oral sex.

“All of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me… and then starts smearing my makeup all over my face and sticking his hands inside of my mouth,” she said.

An stated that she had no prior knowledge that the rapper would appear on set and claimed she froze during the incident while crew members failed to intervene.

She further alleged that the encounter ended after West reportedly declared, “This is art, I’m Picasso,” before leaving the set.

The lawsuit was filed in 2024 under New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act.

West’s legal team has not denied that the interaction took place but argued that it formed part of an “intense and provocative theatrical performance” intended to emulate a scene from the film American Psycho.

His lawyers have reportedly filed a motion seeking dismissal of the case, maintaining that the actions occurred within an artistic performance context and that An did not object at the time.

An later contacted La Roux singer Elly Jackson, who reportedly confirmed the incident in Instagram messages submitted as evidence in the case.

Jackson allegedly described the incident as “horrific” and claimed that West “knew exactly what he was doing.”

Reacting to the defence raised by West’s legal team, An’s lawyer, Jesse Weinstein, warned that accepting such arguments could create a dangerous precedent in creative industries by allowing artists to ignore consent under the guise of artistic expression.

The case has not yet gone to trial.

West has faced multiple controversies in recent years over offensive and antisemitic remarks, for which he later apologised, attributing some of his behaviour to previous diagnoses of autism and bipolar disorder.