Highlights
- Jennifer An has spoken publicly about allegations against Kanye West during a 2010 music video shoot.
- The former America’s Next Top Model contestant says she felt “suffocated, unsure and scared”.
- West’s lawyers argue the encounter was part of a performance inspired by American Psycho.
- Messages from singer La Roux have been submitted as evidence in the case.
Jennifer An recalls alleged incident during music video shoot
Jennifer An has spoken about allegations at the centre of her lawsuit against Kanye West, claiming she was left feeling “suffocated, unsure and scared” during a 2010 music video shoot.
The former America’s Next Top Model contestant told the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast that the incident occurred while filming a video for La Roux’s hit song In For The Kill at New York’s Chelsea Hotel.
According to An, she did not know West would be present when she arrived on set. She alleged that after joining the production, the rapper selected her and two other models to appear in a scene before changing the direction of filming.
An claimed she was asked to sit in front of the camera without being given instructions. She alleges that West then grabbed her by the neck, smeared her make-up across her face and placed his fingers inside her mouth in a manner she says simulated oral sex.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” An said, adding that she froze during the encounter and that nobody on set intervened.
La Roux messages cited as supporting evidence
West did not appear in the final version of In For The Kill, although he later featured on a remix of the track.
An said she spoke with La Roux singer Elly Jackson shortly after the alleged incident and was reassured that the footage would not be used.
In 2024, An contacted Jackson again through Instagram. Court documents show Jackson responded that she remembered the incident and described it as “horrific”.
The messages, submitted as evidence, also include claims that West “knew exactly what he was doing”. Jackson further recalled telling the rapper that his actions had set women back “about 500 years” after he allegedly joked about the incident.
Kanye West’s defence focuses on artistic expression
An filed her lawsuit in 2024 under New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. The case has yet to go to trial.
West’s lawyers have sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that the encounter took place during the creation of an artistic work protected by the First Amendment. They contend that An participated in the performance and did not object or attempt to leave.
The defence has also argued that West was attempting to recreate a scene from American Psycho, describing the sequence as an “intense and provocative theatrical performance”.
An’s lawyer, Jesse Weinstein, has challenged that argument, saying artists should not be able to avoid accountability by describing conduct as art.
The BBC said it had contacted representatives for West, La Roux and Universal Music Group for comment.
