A model and former America’s Next Top Model contestant, Jennifer An, has accused rapper Kanye West—now known as Ye—of choking her during the filming of a music video in 2010, describing the experience as “suffocated, unsure and scared.”
An is currently pursuing a civil lawsuit against the rapper, alleging that the incident occurred during a shoot for a cameo appearance in a music video in New York.
She told the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast that West allegedly choked her and placed his fingers in her mouth in a manner she says simulated oral sex while a scene was being filmed.
West’s legal team has not disputed that the encounter took place but maintains it was part of an “intense and provocative theatrical performance,” arguing he was attempting to recreate a scene inspired by the film American Psycho.
The rapper, who has faced widespread criticism in recent years over offensive and antisemitic remarks as well as controversial public behaviour, has previously apologised for antisemitism and attributed some of his actions to diagnoses of autism and bipolar disorder.
According to An, she was 24 at the time and had been cast for the video following her appearance on America’s Next Top Model in 2009. She said she was unaware West would be on set when she arrived for the shoot at the Chelsea Hotel in New York.
She recalled that production suddenly shifted when crew members began reacting to West’s arrival, with people “running around the Chelsea Hotel, they’re like, ‘Kanye’s coming, Kanye’s coming’.”
An alleges that after being selected for a scene with the rapper, she was given no clear direction before filming began. “I was given no direction. I was just told to sit in this chair,” she said.
She described what followed during filming: “All of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me, and I’m just not sure what’s happening.
“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.”
She added that the experience “just felt wrong,” claiming West used his actions in a way that “simulated oral sex.”
An also alleged that many people were present on set but did not intervene, saying they “were so still and just there, staring at me.”
She said the alleged incident ended abruptly when West declared, “this is art, I’m Picasso,” before leaving the set after saying, “OK, I got what I want.”
Reflecting on her reaction at the time, she said: “No, I didn’t because I didn’t know what I was doing… I was more frozen, it’s like ‘I could lose my job’.”
The model added that West did not speak to her before, during, or after the filming sequence, and described the experience as “scary.”
The incident did not appear in the final version of the La Roux In For The Kill music video, although West later featured on a remix of the track.
An later said she contacted La Roux, whose real name is Elly Jackson, after the shoot, receiving an apology and reassurance that the footage would not be released.
In 2024, she reached out again via Instagram, and Jackson reportedly replied: “I could never forget that, it was horrific.” Those messages have been submitted as evidence in court.
Jackson also allegedly wrote in messages reviewed by Fame Under Fire: “[West] knew exactly what he was doing, he thought it was funny.”
She further recalled Jackson saying after the incident: “He whispered to me ‘I bet you think I just put women back about 10 years’. I responded, ‘You just put women back about 500 years’.”
West’s legal team has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that he is protected under the First Amendment as the encounter was part of an artistic performance and that An did not object or indicate lack of consent during the scene.
They also claim she was “by all interpretations of her complaint… a consenting participant in the stage performance,” adding that the actions were intended as an homage to American Psycho, which they say “may have caused the Plaintiff [An] to have difficulty breathing”.
The case is ongoing and has not yet gone to trial.
