At least four organizations have in recent days distanced themselves from Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, after making multiple antisemitic comments.
The big picture: Antisemitic incidents have been on rise in the U.S., hitting an all-time high in 2021, the Anti-Defamation League said earlier this year.
- Over the weekend, an antisemitic hate group hung a banner reading "Kanye is right about the Jews" from an overpass above a busy Los Angeles highway, according to StopAntisemitism, a non-partisan organization that monitors instances of antisemitism.
Ye was restricted from Twitter and Instagram earlier this month after posting antisemitic messages, including saying he was "going death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE."
- In the fallout of his comments, Ye has said he will buy Parler, a Twitter-like social media app that has become a haven for conservatives.
- In a statement at the time, Ye said he's buying the platform to ensure people with conservative opinions "have the right to freely express ourselves" online.
Organizations that have recently dropped Ye:
- Balenciaga: Kering, the parent company of luxury fashion house Balenciaga, told the fashion publication Women's Wear Daily last week that it severed ties with Ye.
- MRC: The film and television studio MRC announced on Monday that it would not distribute a recently completed documentary on Ye over his comments, saying it could not "support any platform that amplifies his platform."
- Vogue: A spokesperson for the magazine told Page Six last week that it and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour do not intend to work with him in the future.
- CAA: The Creative Artists Agency, a major Hollywood talent and sports agency, confirmed to Axios on Monday that Ye was no longer a client. The Los Angeles Times first reported the agency ended its relationship with Ye over his antisemitic comments.
Yes, but: Other companies, like Adidas, are facing calls from the Anti-Defamation League, consumers and advocates to drop Ye, too.
- "I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me," Ye said on a recent episode of Drink Champs, a hip-hop community podcast.
- Axios has reached out to Adidas for comment.
Of note: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Biden condemned the banner unfurled above the highway in Los Angeles.
- "[Joe Biden] ran to heal the soul of the nation after years of hate and division. As part of this healing, we need to call out antisemitism everywhere it rears its ugly head. These actions in LA are disgusting and should be condemned," Jean-Pierre said.
- "Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end," Kim Kardashian, the media mogul and Ye's former spouse, said on Twitter on Monday.
Go deeper: Kanye West plans to acquire Parler
