Kanye West’s Sunday Service stripped of charity status after troubled rapper fails to file tax returns for 3 years

KANYE West’s Sunday Service has lost its federal tax-exempt status after the star failed to file his returns for three consecutive years.

The troubled rapper’s choir, which appears to be running without him, was first granted charity status on December 12, 2021, as revealed by The U.S. Sun.

Getty

Splash

West, 47, began hosting invite-only musical events with a gospel choir in January 2019, to coincide with his album release Jesus Is King.

He also took his group, led by choir director Jason White, to Coachella and held an opera at the Hollywood Bowl, among many other events.

West claimed in an interview with Nick Cannon in 2020 that he spent $50 million on Sunday Services in its first year.

“I spent every dime that I have for marketing from Yeezy on Sunday Service. Every dollar I had,” he said.

“I spent $50 million last year on Sunday Service if you add up the operas, if you add up the flights. It was 120 people going to Jamaica.

“The Yeezys, they were selling themselves. So instead of paying for ads, I invested it in the church. I invested in spreading [the] gospel. I invested in saying Jesus’ name on high.”

But it appears he’s had little to do with the choir in recent months, and a revocation date on the IRS website is listed as May 15, 2024, confirming it has lost its charity status.

It was posted for the first time on August 12, showing it is still current.

STILL SINGING

A filing still lists the charity’s headquarters as West’s 300-acre ranch in Calabasas that has been left to rot.

Aerial photographs published by The U.S. Sun showed a giant hole at the front entrance and debris scattered around the grounds.

According to Rolling Stone, Jason White, the former music director at West Angeles Church, initially expected to collaborate with West for a few weeks, but it turned into years.

The choir is still popular and has appeared on TV, with many of West’s fans trying to figure out how to attend the services.

But the star has not been pictured at a Sunday Service session since June 2023 when he showed up with wife Bianca Censori clad in a bizarre full-body stocking.

He was said to be hosting private events at his new HQ in West Hollywood, but this has been under construction for months after the roof was ripped off .

Kanye's history with Sunday Service Collective

2018 – West purchased his ranch in Calabasas in 2018, as he planned to host Sunday Service and use it as his headquarters.

2019 – West teams up with choir director Jason White and begins hosting one-hour Sunday Service sessions at different outdoor areas, his home, and studios. That led to performances at stadiums, festivals, and even one session in a Houston jail. He recorded with the choir for his album, Jesus Is King.

March 2020 – West and the choir hosted a surprise performance kicking off fashion week in Paris before going on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 2020 – Documents obtained by The Blast showed West and Live Nation were being sued for $1 million for “failing to provide pay stubs and failing to pay minimum wage and overtime,” as well as other grievances stemming from his opera in 2019. This lawsuit was later dismissed.

2021 – West and the Sunday Service choir made a return and a photo posted on Instagram showed members wearing white gowns and matching hoods, with the message, “SUNDAY SERVICE IS BACK.”

2022 – West was still working with the choir and a post on the group’s Instagram celebrated their third anniversary. In November, a video also showed the rapper during a Thanksgiving celebration with the choir.

2023 – West was photographed with Bianca heading to a Sunday Service session in June but has not been seen with the choir since and they have not posted him in months.

The official Instagram for Sunday Service Collective has not posted anything of West since November 2022, when numerous brands ended their partnerships with him over a string of antisemitic remarks .

White continues to direct the choir and their last big performance was with actor Will Smith at the BET performance earlier this year, and they released a song together called I Know You Can Make It.

Fans pointed out West was not listed as one of the 10 producers, while one wrote, “The choir does work separate from Ye. Jason White is their choir director.”

White does not follow West on Instagram but did post a throwback clip from their Jesus Is King performances in March this year.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to White for comment but did not hear back.

“I know Jason personally. The group is now just a choir and not a non-profit, they are on their own and I understand setting up an LLC for Sunday Service Collective,” a source told The U.S. Sun.

West’s time with the choir did not always go smoothly as he was hit with two class action lawsuits from former performers.

According to court filings seen by The Sun, one was dismissed in April 2021.

Kanye settled the second class action lawsuit last year for $1.35 million with Sunday Service performers after a four-year court battle after they alleged mistreatment.

He was sued by Michael Pearson who worked at his Hollywood Bowl shows in November 2019.

In total, 599 performers involved in what was coined the Nebuchadnezzar Opera joined the suit with the plaintiffs initially seeking over $10 million in damages.

In Pearson’s complaint, he was paid a daily rate of $250 independent of how many hours he worked.

“Failure to pay his overtime wages at the appropriate rate of pay, and failure to pay premium wages for missed meal and rest periods at the appropriate rate of pay,” the suit claimed.

MORE LAWSUITS

Pearson alleged that there weren’t enough chairs for all the performers so he was forced to stand all day, and a staff shuttle they were promised would take them back to their cars didn’t show up.

He sued on seven counts including “unlawful and unfair business practices” with the defendants listed as West, West Brands LLC, Very Good Touring Inc., and AJR Films Inc.

It’s not the only lawsuit West has faced in recent months.

The controversial star is still at the center of at least eleven ongoing lawsuits .

To make things even messier, his lawyer Brian Brumfield has asked to be removed from nine of the suits after the breakdown of their relationship in June.

“Defendant, Kanye West, terminated relationship on 6/21/2024. Defendant also will not speak to counsel and Defendant refuses to pay counsel as well,” Brumfield claims in each one.

The U.S. Sun contacted Brumfield to confirm how much the star owes him but did not receive a response.

The lawsuits include a case filed in April by Trevor Phillips, a former Donda Academy employee, who is suing for harassment, discrimination, a hostile work environment, and other complaints.

West has denied all of the claims in a formal response, with his counsel claiming, “Plaintiff’s Complaint, and each and every purported cause of action alleged therein, is uncertain, vague, and ambiguous.”

They added: “Plaintiff’s alleged damages, if any, were caused by circumstances and conduct other than that alleged in the Complaint.”

Sources told The U.S. Sun that West has yet to hire a new lawyer.

An insider who knows Kanye’s situation said, “Dealing with him in a lawsuit is impossible, there’s no compromise or reasonable behavior.”

Getty

BackGrid