Barstool Sports founder and CEO Dave Portnoy has gained considerable attention in the cryptocurrency space due to various trades, projects, and public remarks, one of which caught the eye of controversial rapper Kanye West. In a video shared on X, West, adorned in a swastika shirt reminiscent of those from his Yeezy apparel site following his Super Bowl ad, lambasted Portnoy. This came after Portnoy denounced West as the “worst human alive” for his admiration of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, calling his forthcoming cryptocurrency plans “a scam meme coin.” Although West’s response video has been deleted from X, it was preserved by England’s The Daily Mail on their TikTok feed:
@dailymail Kanye West responded to Dave Portnoy on X after the Barstool Sports chief labeled his meme coin a scam. On Saturday, Portnoy ranted about the rapper on X, naming West the ‘worst human alive’ while making his claims about the coins. Shortly after, West posted a now-deleted video to respond to Portnoy’s claims. While wearing a swastika shirt, Earlier this month, Portnoy branded West ‘one of the greatest pieces of s*** of all time’ after the rapper went on a sickening social media rampage praising Hitler. Read more on DailyMail.com 🎥X/YE #kanyewest #ye #daveportnoy #barstoolsports #rapper #news #usa ♬ original sound – Daily Mail
In his response, West stated, “So Dave Portnoy, I don’t know you. I saw you were tweeting. I have no idea who you are. We were going back and forth joking. But when you start talking about—telling people that my coin is not real and you’re tryna play with my money. Nah, this is the last time we’re going to be talking online.” This comment shows a more coherent side of West compared to many of his previous rants, though his main issue appears to revolve around Portnoy labeling his coin (rumored to be called “Swasticoin“) a scam, with his actual retort being his decision to cease online communication with Portnoy, all while overshadowed by his swastika shirt.
It shouldn’t be surprising that West finds himself associated with swastikas again, following the controversy arising from his Super Bowl ad. Over the years, he has openly expressed his views on that symbol and Hitler, including a 2022 interview with Tucker Carlson that Fox News edited to remove his antisemitic remarks. West’s targeted approach toward Portnoy in this context is indeed captivating.
As West mentioned, he and Portnoy indeed exchanged tweets on Saturday, though most of West’s posts are now deleted (only three remain on his X account as of Sunday afternoon). Portnoy’s responses to the situation, including sharing a post suggesting West sold posting rights to his X account, remain accessible. Below are excerpts of some of Portnoy’s tweets (language warning):
There is 0.0 shot Heil Kanye is running his account. It the scammers planning the rug
But if you can send @kanyewest a message tell him me and Taylor said to go fuck himself.
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 23, 2025
Actually smart move by Kanye. Get his money and let the con artists do the dirty work https://t.co/QUH8ZRTFS2
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 23, 2025
Sounds just like Kanye.
For the record I have the flu and already took NyQuil before fake Kanye starting tweeting at me so I’m about to fall asleep. https://t.co/9uZsnuwUkB
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 23, 2025
I thought Adam Sandler cured him of being a Nazi. Either way I fucking hate this guy so much I don’t even care he appears to have been taken hostage. https://t.co/OYsC6TrXLk
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 23, 2025
This recent exchange is just the latest in Portnoy’s forays into cryptocurrency. As Ankish Jain reported at Crypto.news this week, Portnoy has found notable success with various memecoin investments. His remarks on West’s plans signify this is far from his first venture in this arena. Notably, West’s video reply marks a distinctive turn, especially since it confirmed his actual involvement in the discussions amidst Portnoy’s claims of untruths regarding his posts. The scenario has become even more provocative given West’s choice of attire during the response.
Additionally, this incident contributes to a recent surge of public drama surrounding Barstool and its associates. Most notably, there have been exchanges with big names like Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, alongside issues involving ex-Barstool figures such as Grace O’Malley and Dan Rapaport.
Portnoy and Barstool have not shied away from public feuds in the past. Notably, they faced off against Roger Goodell and the NFL, with Portnoy famously holding a “Goodell is Hitler” sign at a Republican National Convention protest in 2016. However, the intensity of these public exchanges seemed to have diminished during the period of Barstool’s ownership by Penn Entertainment from 2020 to 2023. With Portnoy once again at the helm, public disputes appear to be resurfacing, with West now added to the catalog of Portnoy’s feuds. It remains to be seen how this particular confrontation will evolve.
