Kanye West is facing intense backlash over his recent antisemitic comments, with a number of companies and brands announcing they will no longer do business with the rapper or his brand Yeezy.
West, 45, has become embroiled in controversy on a number of occasions in recent weeks, after he first sparked criticism over his “White Lives Matter” shirt. Amid the backlash, he proceeded to make a number of derogatory and threatening comments targeted at Jewish people. After his Instagram account was suspended as a result, the rapper took to Twitter to share the antisemitic rants, where he claimed he was going to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”. His Twitter account was also suspended.
However, despite no longer having access to his social media accounts, the Yeezy founder has continued to express antisemitic views in interviews, including in a since-deleted interview with Drink Champs podcast, in which he claimed he could make antisemitic comments and still have the support of his longtime partner Adidas.
West has since been proven wrong, as a number of companies, including Adidas, have announced they will no longer work with him moving forward, while condemning his remarks.
From Adidas to The RealReal, these are the companies that have cut ties with West.
Adidas
The company came under intense backlash after West’s comments, with many urging the sportswear brand to end its relationship with the rapper.
“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,” the company said.
<strong>Balenciaga</strong>
The French fashion house, which had a long working relationship with West, also announced it would be cutting ties with the rapper following his antisemitic comments.
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” a spokesperson for Kering, Balenciaga’s parent company, said in a statement to WWD last week.
The move comes despite a close relationship between West and creative director Demna, who have collaborated together numerous times.
Vogue
As a result of his recent remarks, West no longer has a relationship with Vogue, as a spokesperson for the magazine told Page Six that neither the publication nor editor-in-chief Anna Wintour intend to work with the rapper going forward.
“Anna has had enough,” the source was quoted as saying. “She has made it very clear inside Vogue that Kanye is no longer part of the inner circle.”
The RealReal
On Tuesday, the fashion retailer also cut ties with West, with The RealReal announcing it will no longer accept items associated with West or his brand, including Yeezy or Yeezy x Adidas products.
“Kanye West’s recent behaviour at Paris Fashion Week and the comments he made regarding the Jewish community are not only offensive, but go against everything we believe in,” the company said in a statement shared to Instagram. “For this reason, we are no longer accepting items associated with West or his brand, including Yeezy and Yeezy x Adidas.
“At the RealReal, we honour and celebrate the diverse community we have built,” the statement added.
TJ Maxx
On Wednesday, TJ Maxx joined the growing number of companies that will no longer work with West.
“At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind. We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally,” the retailer said in a statement to CNN.
<strong>Gap</strong>
West has also faced fallout from Gap, another of his business partners, as a result of his recent comments.
On Tuesday, the retailer, which released a range of Yeezy Gap products created in collaboration with the rapper earlier this year, said that it was taking “immediate steps” to remove the merchandise from its stores, while it had already shut down its YeezyGap.com website.
According to Gap, its “former partner’s recent remarks and behaviour further underscore why”. “Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values,” the company said in a statement. “On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organisations that combat hate and discrimination.”
The move comes after Gap ended its relationship with the rapper in September.
Foot Locker
The sneaker retailer announced on Wednesday that, moving forward, it will not be supporting “any future Yeezy product drops” and that it has instructed its retail operators to “pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites”.
According to Foot Locker, it will be continuing to work with Adidas and “carry a wide assortment of their collections”.
Creative Artists Agency
On Monday, CAA, which has represented West for touring only since 2016, confirmed to Deadline it would no longer be representing the rapper.
MRC
The film and TV studio announced on Monday it would also be severing ties with West in light of his recent comments, which means it will not be distributing a recently completed documentary about the rapper.
“This morning, after discussion with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” the statement said in part.
The popular exercise equipment company has also joined the list of companies cutting ties with West, with Peloton announcing on Thursday that it will no longer play the rapper’s music in its classes. PeloBuddy reported that, in a statement from a Peloton spokesperson, the company said it had “indefinitely paused” playing West’s music and that it takes the issue “very seriously”.
“This means our instructors are no longer using his music in any newly produced classes and we are not suggesting any class that includes his music in our proactive recommendations to Members. You should know this was a decision we made immediately following his remark,” the statement said.
The fallout has already had real-life consequences for West, who lost his billionaire status overnight as a result of the splintered relationships, according to Forbes, which reported that Adidas’ decision resulted in the rapper’s net worth plummeting from $2bn to $400m.
The Independent has contacted a spokesperson for West for comment.
