Adidas has ended its partnership with Kanye West after the rapper made a series of anti-Semitic comments on social media and in interviews.
In a statement Tuesday, the sportswear giant said: “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 statement added, “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. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”
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Adidas admitted ending the partnership would have a negative impact of up to $246 million in sales. Still, the company decided to part ways with West amid intense pressure and calls for a boycott.
The company signed the rapper, who now goes by Ye, in 2013. Three years later, the retailer expanded its relationship with the hip-hop star, calling it “the most significant partnership ever created between a non-athlete and an athletic brand.”
The announcement about Adidas parting ways with West came after he was dropped by his Hollywood talent agency.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that CAA — one of the biggest agencies in the business — dumped the rapper as calls grow for Hollywood insiders to stop doing business with him.
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West has continued to face backlash since he threatened in an Oct. 7 tweet to “Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
The rapper has been banned from Instagram and Twitter for hate speech, yet he’s continued to make anti-Semitic comments in interviews.
In an Oct. 17 interview with Chris Cuomo on the NewsNation network, the “Power” rapper complained about Jewish people running Hollywood.
“Over 50 percent of the executives and CEOs in Hollywood are Jewish,” he said. “Every celebrity has Jewish people in their contract, this is not hate speech, this is the truth.”
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On Oct. 19, he appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored and said he “absolutely” does not regret making anti-Semitic comments. Although he did apologize for any hurt he may have caused.
“I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the death con [comments],” West said on the British talk show. “I feel like I caused hurt and confusion. And I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through, and that I used my platform where you say hurt people hurt people. I was hurt.”
