Beliefs and politics Banks is known for publicly speaking out on African-American
civil rights issues. In December 2014, she called for over $100 trillion in
reparations to be paid to African Americans, citing U.S. reparations to Native American communities and German reparations to Jewish survivors of
the Holocaust as precedents. On Twitter, she urged young African Americans to take an interest in such issues, adding, "We are the children of the people who perished in the name of modern capitalism and we deserve a piece of that fucking pie".
Donald Trump and political stances Banks has shared shifting opinions on
Donald Trump and his policies since 2015, when she expressed support his hardline immigration stance, stated that the U.S. was "playing foster parent" for Mexico. Banks announced that she planned to vote for Trump in the 2016 election because he was "evil like America is evil," which some speculated was a
publicity stunt, before later retracting the endorsement. Banks publicly congratulated Trump on the eventual election result. In 2021, moved from Los Angeles to Miami, citing disillusionment with the performative liberal politics of LA and adding that she felt "was safer" in Florida She has praised Florida's governor
Ron DeSantis for his perceived focus on practical issues. despite having previously offered her support for
Ron DeSantis and
his campaign. The day before the election, Banks stated that she would be voting for
Kamala Harris due to concerns over Trump's close ties to
Elon Musk, who she said "belongs nowhere near American politics". However, on November 6, she claimed to have "lied" and voted for Trump—a decision she later regretted. In July 2025, Banks defended Trump's appearance in the
Epstein files, claiming that "[having sex with] 14 year old girls was really only made a social taboo in the 1990s."
International politics Relationship with Israel and denouncement of Palestine Banks has offered shifting opinions on
Israel and its relations internationally, at one point stating that canceling her performance in the country would be "totally anti-Semitic". Banks has stated that due to
anti-black racism in the Arab world, she is a Zionist and supports Israel. She has criticized the
two-state solution, stating that an Arab state would be unable to support itself and that Palestinians should become naturalized Israelis or leave. After performing in
Tel Aviv in 2018, she said she would never visit again due to the racism she experienced in the country. However, she returned in 2025, opening her performance wearing an
Israeli flag and a
Star of David necklace. In the lead up to her concert in Tel Aviv, Banks had condemned the Palestinian-led
BDS Movement and labelled it anti-Semitic over Instagram. Banks also accused Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip of carrying out
genocide against
Afro-Palestinians, a claim she made without providing evidence. In another post, Banks
claimed Palestine was not a country, writing that Palestinian territory "should all be Israel". Later that month, Banks announced on Twitter that she would be withdrawing from the lineup of two
music festivals in the United Kingdom, Maiden Voyage and
Boomtown. Banks had claimed that the two festivals were pressuring her into expressing
pro-Palestinian views, which she described as
extortion. After which, a representative from Boomtown refuted this in a comment to the
Evening Standard, saying that the festival does not "dictate the personal views and beliefs of performers".
Antisemitism In 2025, Banks shared a post on Twitter claiming that Jewish people had too much influence in the entertainment industry.
Ukraine During the
Russian invasion in Ukraine, responding to reports of Black people fleeing Ukraine
being denied exit, Banks blamed
President Zelenskyy and criticized his appearance at the Grammys while Ukraine was "under attack." She accused Ukraine of recruiting soldiers from Africa and urged the nation to surrender to avoid
nuclear war. In July 2025, Banks faced criticism for mocking the emaciated appearance of a recently-released Ukrainian
prisoner of war.
Opinions on gender and sexuality Transgender While Banks has been publicly supportive of her brother's
gender transition, she has also sharply criticized
transgender medicine under the assumption that it redirects resources away from more critical care. In 2025, she criticized
J. K. Rowling for her "paranoid"
views on trans women. When asked about her own past comments, she denied being transphobic and said that she had been reacting to "activist" rhetoric at the time; she also argued that "a female and a woman are two different concepts". She also mentioned her sibling is a
trans man and noted the "pain" and "ostracism" that is caused by transphobia. Banks has repeatedly used the epithet "faggot," wielding the term against
Perez Hilton, producer
Baauer, and
Zayn Malik. In September 2015, a video surfaced showing Banks using the slur again against a
Delta flight attendant. In response to backlash from the video, Banks likened the LGBT community to the
Ku Klux Klan. She went on to call the community "weak" and "easily moved" and lamented being part of the same community as those she criticized. In 2016, Banks apologized for using the word and said she would not do it again. In July 2025 Banks sparked criticism for stating that being
gay or
transgender is unnatural, claiming they stemmed from
trauma responses.
Public feuds and disputes Billboard has described Banks' as being more well known for her "feuds on and off social media with her fellow musicians" than her music. Some of Banks' more notable disputes with celebrities include:
Sarah Palin In April 2016, Banks tweeted that politician
Sarah Palin should be
sexually assaulted, ostensibly as a result of a
satirical article claiming Palin was pro-
slavery. Palin condemned these comments and stated that she planned on taking legal action against Banks.
Zayn Malik On May 11, 2016, Banks posted a series of racist Tweets about British singer
Zayn Malik, claiming Malik had taken inspiration from her artistry and calling him "curry scented" in addition to homophobic and racial slurs. On the same day, Banks apologized over Twitter "to anyone who was offended," but clarified that she was not apologizing for making these remarks. As a result of her remarks, she was dropped from the headliner at the
Born and Bred Festival and suspended from Twitter. However, later in October 2016, Banks made a full apology to Malik over Instagram, saying that she had misconstrued Malik's original post, and called the language that she had used "derogatory."
Russell Crowe In October 2016, Banks filed a police report against actor
Russell Crowe, claiming that he choked and spat at her before proceeding to call her a "
nigger" during a party in his hotel suite. Crowe in turn claimed that he removed Banks from the premises because she threatened to physically assault other attendees. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office dropped the case in December.
Grimes and Elon Musk In 2018, Banks and
Grimes announced that they would be releasing music together. Grimes purportedly invited Banks to a her and
Elon Musk's Los Angeles home to finish the collaboration. Banks claimed that Grimes had left her alone in the house with Musk "for days," likening the experience to the plot of
Get Out. During Banks' stay at Musk's residence, Musk posted on Twitter that he was "considering taking
Tesla private at $
420" while allegedly under the influence of LSD.During her stay, Banks took to Twitter to claim that Musk had benefitted from
apartheid. The
SEC sued Musk for misleading investors, claiming that Musk did not have the funding he claimed to have. Both Banks and Grimes were subpoenaed and demanded to preserve evidence related to the trial. In 2019, Banks posted screenshots of text messages between her and Grimes from over the course of a year, showing Grimes commenting on Banks' weight, Banks making remarks about Grimes' appearance, and Banks claiming that Grimes smelled "like a roll of
nickels". In late 2024, Banks replied to a post Grimes made on Twitter insinuating that Musk had left her, which Grimes denied. Grimes then complimented Banks, and later clarified in another post that the metallic scent Banks complained of was caused by
shell casings. In February 2025, Banks criticized an interview Grimes gave with
Time, telling her to return to
Canada, in addition to making comments about her appearance.
Lana Del Rey In September 2018,
Lana Del Rey criticized
Kanye West for supporting Donald Trump, saying that Trump's presidency was a "loss for the country", and that West's comments were a "loss for the culture". Banks accused Del Rey of
performative activism, bringing up Del Rey's past collaboration with
ASAP Rocky, who Banks accused of assaulting female fans. The pair exchanged insults, leading up to Banks threatening to sue Del Rey.
Charli XCX In late 2024, Banks shared a post on Twitter criticizing the appearance of singer
Charli XCX, and in response,
The 1975 frontman
Matty Healy criticized Banks and accused her of jealousy. Banks then went on to further criticize the looks of both Healy and his fiancée
Gabbriette. In response, Healy shared a post appearing to threaten to attack Banks, which he later deleted and apologized for. Nonetheless, Banks in another post alluded to taking legal action against Healy. A legal representative for Banks then sent a cease-and-desist letter to Healy, which Banks posted to Twitter, but was later removed.
Conor McGregor In July 2025, Banks posted screenshots on Twitter of multiple
nude photos that
Conor McGregor appeared to have sent Banks, one of which was sent with the caption "Don't be a rat cos all rats get caught", which Banks interpreted as a threat. Banks then alluded to McGregor's bid for the Irish presidency, before posting another screenshot where it appeared Banks no longer had access to the photos.
J.K. Rowling Banks shared a post on Twitter in 2025 suggesting that
J.K. Rowling's husband left her for a transgender woman, which is why Rowling holds
certain views on transgender topics. Rowling then mentioned that she was abused by her first husband in a post responding to Banks, which Banks said she had not seen because she had blocked Rowling.
Witchcraft In December 2016, Banks posted a series of videos on
Instagram detailing her cleanup of a closet in her apartment where she claimed to have been practicing
witchcraft. She admitted to practicing "three years worth of
brujeria". The video appeared to show dried blood, feathers, and the
carrion of dead chickens. In January 2021, she received criticism after posting a video on Instagram of her exhuming the remains of her dead pet cat, Lucifer, and collecting some of his bones. She later said in an interview that she did not eat the cat and exhumed it for
taxidermizing purposes.
Criticisms of other countries Ireland In early 2019, Banks shared a post on Instagram criticizing
Aer Lingus, claiming the airline had banned her. Banks also went on to call Irish women "ugly", additionally likening them to
Oompa-Loompas in another Instagram story, before calling herself the "queen of Ireland". Later that week, Banks posted multiple comments on Instagram calling Irish people "inbred", as well as appearing to make light of the
Great Famine. Responding to these comments, a barrister suggested that these could breach the United Kingdom's
Communications Act 2003, and that Banks could be subject to legal action upon landing in the country, where she was slated to perform next. Banks then replied accusing the barrister of racism. Banks once again criticized Aer Lingus in 2025 on Twitter, reiterating her comments on the appearances of the airline's staff, this time likening them to characters from
James and the Giant Peach and claiming that the airline "needs help".
Sweden In 2019, Banks accused the staff of
SAS of profiling her on a flight leaving from
Stockholm over Instagram, leading to Banks deeming Swedish people as racist. Soon after this incident, Banks then shared another post calling for Sweden to be bombed. In 2025, Banks announced that she was moving to Stockholm to collaborate with Swedish DJ . However, after moving Banks then criticized the city's social scene and nightlife over multiple tweets.
Australia hours before her concert was set to begin. In 2022, Banks cancelled a show in
Brisbane hours before she was set to perform because of a previous incident where a bottle was thrown at her on stage in Brisbane. Banks announced that she would not tour Australia again, stating that the
racism she had experienced in the country made her "utterly miserable". In 2023, the track "New Bottega" was released by Australian producer
Torren Foot featuring Banks, who criticized the version of the song that was released on Instagram, comparing it to the track's original mix. After this, Banks went on to criticize
Australia's music industry, calling the country "unimportant" and
its culture "trash".
Reactions Over the years, Banks has gained publicity for her public conflicts. In addition to having been banned from social media platforms multiple times, Banks has had performances canceled as a result of statements made online. In 2016, Banks was briefly suspended from Twitter for "racially-charged" tweets toward
Zayn Malik. Banks rejoined Twitter after
Elon Musk acquired the app. Banks was suspended from Instagram in October 2022, but soon rejoined under a different account. After having her performance at a music festival canceled in 2016 over her remarks about Zayn Malik, Banks was then removed from the lineup of the Milkshake Festival in 2025 due to backlash over Banks' opinions on the LGBTQ community. When Swedish singer
Loreen was added to the lineup after Banks' cancelation, Banks then insulted her and accused her of being
anti-Semitic. Banks has also sparked, and contributed to, discussions about
cancel culture, given that Banks is seen to have retained some level of notability despite potentially problematic behavior, and Banks herself said to
Rolling Stone that she does not think she has been "canceled". However,
Them has said that Banks may be more prone to cancelation because of her status as a queer Black woman. Banks has been defended to various degrees by multiple outlets, with
Crack labelling her "misunderstood", and
Dazed pointing to her struggles with
bipolar disorder, with both publications tying in the struggles many Black artists face in the music industry. In June 2025, she won a Sinai Award from online magazine
Tablet for being one of the "12 people who made the world freer" that year, as the "original
uncancellable rapper". In June 2025, Banks was named as one of "12 people who made the world freer this year" at
Tablet's Sinai Awards. ==Discography==