Model Says Kanye West Choked Her During La Roux Video Shoot

Jennifer An, a former contestant on America’s Next Top Model, says that rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) obstructed and physically assaulted her during an early 2010 music‑video shoot in New York for the band La Roux’s hit “In For The Kill.”

“All of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me, and then he pulled his other hand in and started choking me with both hands, smearing my makeup all over my face and sticking his hands inside my mouth,” An told the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast.

An was 24 at the time and had no knowledge that West would be on the set. After the alleged encounter, she said she felt “suffocated, unsure and scared” and that there was no intervention from other crew members. West’s lawyers claim the interaction was an intense, “provocative theatrical performance” meant as an homage to the film American Psycho, arguing that An was a consenting participant and that the act was protected under the First Amendment.

The lawsuit, filed under New York City’s Gender‑Motivated Violence Protection Act which extends the statute of limitations for survivors, has not yet gone to trial. West’s legal team has requested dismissal, citing freedom of expression in artistic production. The case highlights the fine line between creative experimentation and unlawful assault in the music industry.