Adidas Ends Partnership With Kanye West Over AntiSemitic Comments

Global clothing brand Adidas has ended its partnership Kanye “Ye” West over his offensive and antisemitic remarks.

In an official statement released on Tuesday, Adidas wrote “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech, Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

Adidas announced that it had carried out a “thorough investigation” and will immediately halt both the production of its Yeezy product line and payments to Ye and his businesses. The sportswear company predicted that the decision might cost it up to 250 million euros ($246 million) in net profits this year.

Adidas’ action comes after Ye was banned from Twitter and Instagram this month for making anti-Semitic statements that the social media platforms claimed broke their regulations.

Adidas was under pressure to sever connections with Ye after social media users, including celebrities, called for it. At the beginning of the month, it declared that it was reevaluating its lucrative sneaker partnership with the rapper, “Yeezy.”

Ye recently said that slavery was a choice and referred to the COVID-19 vaccine as the “mark of the beast,” among other things. Additionally, he received criticism for showing up to his Yeezy collection exhibition in Paris wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt.

 

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Ye has been dropped by his talent agency CAA, and the MRC studio said on Monday that it is shelving a full documentary about the rapper.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, designer brand Balenciaga severed its relationship with Ye last week. Ye and JPMorganChase have also dissolved their commercial partnership, however this split was always planned before Ye made his anti-Semitic remarks.

Kim Kardashian has also addressed the antisemitic remarks made by ex husband Kanye West.

The reality star posted her opinions on social media on Monday morning, writing, “Hate speech is never OK or excusable.”

She tweeted “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”