Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Kanye West’s Memecoin Crashes 73%, Reaping Small Profits for His Inner Circle, Stiffing Investors

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It wasn’t so Yeezy after all.

Kanye West’s YZY memecoin has dropped 73% in value since it arrived three days ago.

YZY opened at $3 billion, quickly fell to $1 billion, is now worth less than $800 million.

According to CoinCentral.com, 13 people made $24 million right away, while all other investors lost millions. If you know anyone who did lose money, please email me at showbiz411@gmail.com.

The coin’s value is based on Kanye’s brands. So why would anyone have put money in this at all? West has lost all his fashion ties, and has no recording contract. He’s known for being antisemitic, vocally praising Hitler and the Nazis.

It doesn’t take a genius to see this thing was designed for sketchy reasons. CoinCentral says: “While insiders profited, retail investors faced devastating losses. The biggest losing wallet realized a $1.8 million loss according to Nansen data. Another wallet lost $1.2 million, and one trader held an unrealized loss exceeding $800,000.”

They advise: “Other celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, Caitlyn Jenner and Lindsay Lohan have faced allegations related to memecoin schemes. BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes commented on the YZY situation, saying retail investors should avoid trading such tokens.”

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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