New York
CNN Business
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In recent weeks, retailers, social media platforms, celebrities, and fashion and entertainment companies have divested themselves of business alliances with rapper Ye.
Ye, also known as Kanye West, has become a magnet for controversy.
In early October, Ye wore a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt and dressed several black models in clothes with the same phrase at his YZY show at Paris fashion week; the slogan has been linked by the Anti-Defamation League to the Klu Klux Klan.
In a 45-minute podcast episode of “Drink Champs” that aired earlier this month, the rapper made numerous outrageous comments that caused real financial repercussions for him and his brand partners. On the podcast, West said: “I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t let me. Now what?” He also suggested that George Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose rather than police brutality. And he repeated various anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, doubling down on them in subsequent interviews.
West later threatened on Twitter to “Go to death with 3 on the JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Since Ye’s anti-Semitic comments, companies have come under pressure to take further action against him. Here are the companies cutting ties with Ye.
On Monday, Adidas ended its partnership with Kanye West, with “immediate effect.”
In a statement, the sportswear maker said it “does not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hate speech” and called his recent comments “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous.”
Adidas said they violated the company’s “values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Sales and production of its Yeezy-branded products were halted, as were payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas said it will take a $246 million hit to its fourth-quarter sales.
The rapper said he was ending his rocky two-year relationship with Gap on September 15, citing a “substantial breach.” Ye said she “had no choice but to terminate his collaboration,” alleging the company failed to open Yeezy-brand stores or distribute its merchandise as planned, his attorney said in a statement.
This guy Kanye is a clown. @adidas, what do you think of this? It seems to imply that you agree with anti-Semitism.
pic.twitter.com/iGjLnMoPGL
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) October 21, 2022
“The way we work together to deliver this vision is out of alignment. And we are deciding to wind up the partnership,” Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of Gap Brand, said in an internal email.
Gap initially said existing items would continue to sell, including upcoming collections through the fall and first half of 2023, but it reversed that decision today.
A spokesperson for Meta (FB) said Ye’s account content was removed for violating company policies and a restriction was placed on his account, also on October 7. Although Meta (FB) did not specify the content, West did share a post that was criticized for being anti-Semitic.
West then returned to Twitter after nearly two years away from the social media platform; that didn’t last long either.
Twitter (TWTR) blocked his account after an anti-Semitic tweet posted on October 8.
In the since-deleted tweet, West said he was “going to death with 3 [sic] On the JEWISH PEOPLE,” and also that, “You guys have played me and tried to block anyone who opposes your agenda,” without specifying which group he was targeting, according to Internet Archive Wayback Machine records excerpted by CNN. .
Kanye’s anti-Semitic comments were also the final straw for luxury fashion house Balenciaga, which broke ties over the weekend. He had collaborated with Balenciaga for a very popular Yeezy Gap line earlier this year.
“Balenciaga no longer has any relationship or plans for future projects related to this artist,” Kering, Balenciaga’s parent company, said in a statement to WWD.
The prominent talent agency told CNN on Monday that Ye is no longer a client.
– CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, David Williams, Megan Thomas, Brian Fung, Oliver Darcy, Jordan Valinsky and Chloe Melas contributed to this report.
Source: news.google.com