Adidas is no longer working with Kanye West. The fashion brand announced on October 25 the termination of its partnership with the rapper following his anti-Semitic posts.
The company said in a statement, “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.”
“After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies,” the brand added. “Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”
The company’s decision comes after many also expressed their decision to cut ties with the Donda artist. A spokesperson for CAA told NBC News on October 24 that West is no longer a client. Also, MRC studio executives Asif Satchu, Scott Tenley, and Modi Wiczyk also announced on the same day through a memo that a completed documentary on the artist has been shelved. Days earlier, Balenciaga and JP Morgan Chase also announced they’ll no longer work with the rapper.
In a since-deleted October 8 tweet, Kanye wrote about “going death con 3 on Jewish people.” He added, “you guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
West’s Instagram account was restricted right after his post, after which, he returned to Twitter to rant. However, the platform also restricted his account.
Many celebrities also criticized the rapper for his anti-Semitic online rant. Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted, “The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in a genocide. Your words hurt and incite violence. You are a father. Please stop.”
Further, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian also took to Twitter and wrote, “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’s mom, Kris Jenner, and her sisters Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner also expressed their support for their Jewish friends.
West had worked with Adidas since 2013 and their partnership accounted for $1.5 billion of the rapper’s total net worth. Now that the German fashion brand cut ties with him, Forbes reported that he lost his billionaire status after he’s valued at $400 million.
