Model Jennifer An Alleges Kanye West Assault During La Roux Video Shoot
Model Jennifer An, a former 'America's Next Top Model' finalist, has come forward with allegations of assault against Kanye West. She claims the incident occurred during the 2010 filming of La Roux's 'In for the Kill' music video, leading to a civil...
Model Jennifer An, a finalist on the 2009 season of America’s Next Top Model, is speaking out against Kanye West in a new interview with the BBC. She alleges West assaulted her during the filming of La Roux’s “In for the Kill” video in 2010, an incident for which she filed a civil suit against the rapper in 2024.
An described how West allegedly choked her and used his fingers to simulate oral sex on her during the shoot. The footage, she states, was not included in the final cut of the video. “I feel like he was like trying to touch as much as he could,” she told the BBC.
She recounted the unexpected nature of the alleged actions, making her feel unsafe. “All of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me, and I’m just not sure what’s happening,” An said. “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.”
The alleged treatment of her makeup, An noted, “just felt wrong.” She claims West then “yelled something like, ‘this is art, I’m Picasso,'” before adding, “OK, I got what I want,” and leaving the set.
According to An, production staff witnessed the alleged incident but remained silent. She explained that her fear of losing her job prevented her from attempting to stop West.
A representative for La Roux’s label, Universal, did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
An told the BBC that La Roux agreed not to include the alleged footage in the video. When An contacted La Roux in 2024, the musician reportedly messaged back on Instagram, acknowledging West’s alleged behavior as “horrific.”
An filed her lawsuit in 2024 under New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which temporarily extended the statute of limitations for civil suits related to sexual violence.
West’s legal team has moved to dismiss the suit, arguing that his actions were artistic expression protected by the First Amendment. His attorneys characterize An as “a consenting participant in the stage performance,” likening West’s actions to a scene from American Psycho. They claim the incident “incidentally may have caused the Plaintiff [An] to have difficulty breathing.”
A representative for West directed inquiries to public filings in the case. Excerpts from these filings state, “the emulation of sexual violence for artistic purposes is not itself sexual violence, and the presence of physical contact in a staged performance does not transform expressive conduct into a crime, let alone into gender-motivated violence. Ms. An herself admits that the video was designed to ’emulate’ stylized violence for the camera. This admission negates any inference of gender-based hostility.”
An’s lawyer, Jesse Weinstein, told the BBC that framing West’s alleged behavior as artistic expression sets “a really dangerous precedent.”
Weinstein previously told Rolling Stone that An has a strong case. “Our filing sets out substantial corroborating evidence supporting the allegations, including contemporaneous communications and witness testimony,” he stated. “We believe the record makes clear that the claims have a substantial basis in law and fact and should proceed so that the evidence can be fully examined in court.”
Meanwhile, West has faced challenges in his attempts to return to live performances. Most recently, Florida Senator Rick Scott urged the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel West’s upcoming concerts at Raymond James Stadium. Scott cited West’s history of "openly praised Nazis, called himself one, and slandered Jews across the world.”
This article was updated on June 10, 2026, at 7:03 p.m. E.T. to include a section from referenced filings provided by a rep for Kanye West.
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