At 24 years old, Jennifer An was hired to appear in the US music video for the hit song In For The Kill. When she first got the job, An wasn't aware that rapper Kanye West would be making a cameo appearance. When he did, An alleges that West assaulted her, sticking his fingers down her throat and suffocating her.
An told the BBC that West apparently took over the set once he arrived. At one point, he allegedly told her to sit in a chair, without giving further direction. "I didn't know what was gonna happen," An said. "I was given no direction. I was just told to sit in this chair."
"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."
West's lawyers do not deny the encounter took place, but instead defend the act as part of an "intense and provocative theatrical performance," saying the rapper was trying to emulate a scene from American Psycho.
West is known for being a controversial figure, having made many antisemitic statements in the past. West may have apologised for those statements, but his reputation is yet to fully recover. This encounter and subsequent lawsuit isn't going to help in that regard.
The act never made it into the music video, as An said she spoke with La Roux who confirmed they would not be using any of West's cameos in the music video.