Kanye West's legal team argues the alleged choking was 'expressive' artistic creation protected by free speech — essentially claiming his actions were a form of creative expression comparable to Picasso.
La Roux's messages reveal she was terrified of West's retaliation — she admitted he 'threatened me in some way' and 'wanted to remind me of his power and status.' She told An she kept quiet out of respect, but also fear for her career.
The incident occurred in September 2010 during filming of a La Roux 'In for the Kill' remix. Model Jennifer An sued Kanye West in November 2024. La Roux wrote: 'I could never forget that, it was horrific.' A makeup artist signed a statement corroborating the assault.
This isn't just he-said-she-said anymore. La Roux just handed Jennifer An's lawsuit a devastating weapon — and Kanye's 'I'm Picasso' defense is about to get tested in court.
In a development that has sent shockwaves through the music industry, La Roux is officially backing model Jennifer An's explosive claims against Kanye West — and she's putting it in writing. Court documents obtained by Rolling Stone reveal that Elly Jackson, the singer behind "Bulletproof," exchanged messages with An through La Roux's verified Instagram account in 2024, confirming she remembers the alleged choking incident vividly. "I could never forget that, it was horrific," Jackson wrote. That's not a statement from some random internet troll — that's the artist whose video this happened on, confirming the nightmare happened on her watch.
Let's talk about what actually went down. Jennifer An — yes, the 2009 America's Next Top Model finalist — was hired as a background actress for a remix of La Roux's "In for the Kill" in September 2010. What should have been an exciting gig turned into what her lawsuit describes as a "humiliating and degrading" experience. According to court filings, Kanye West allegedly singled her out on set, ordering "Give me the Asian girl" before going completely off-script with cameras rolling. The lawsuit alleges West choked An with both hands, smeared her makeup, and then "rammed several fingers down her throat, continuously moving them in and out" — effectively simulating forced oral sex. His alleged justification? "This is art," he reportedly yelled. "This is f***ing art. I am like Picasso."
But here's where it gets really interesting. La Roux's messages don't just confirm the incident — they reveal a pattern of intimidation that spans years. Jackson told An she felt she couldn't publicly discuss what happened because "it wasn't my story to tell" and explained that West "already threatened me in some way." She added that he "wanted to remind me of his power and status and threatened me with my career essentially." In 2020, after Jackson publicly commented on the incident, West demanded she write him an apology email — which she did, she said, "with a massive grin on my face" in ironic defiance. This isn't someone who's just now deciding to jump on a bandwagon. La Roux has been sitting on this for over a decade, terrified of retaliation from one of the most powerful men in music.
An's legal team just filed new evidence including those Instagram messages, a signed statement from makeup artist Liz Martins who was on set that day, and testimony from other crew members. Martins wrote she saw West "forcefully put his fingers down [An's] mouth and told her to, 'Suck on them'" — and noted the assault "was not a part of the script." She recalled An was crying afterward, repeatedly saying, "My mom is going to see this. I don't want my mom to see this." Meanwhile, Kanye's lawyers are arguing his alleged assault should be protected as "expressive" art. That's the defense they're going with. The trial date is still pending, but given that West is already in the middle of another civil trial regarding a former worker at his $57 million Malibu mansion and faces a separate lawsuit from his former assistant Lauren Pisciotta, the timing couldn't be worse for him.
