Kanye West: pressing the self-destruct button
(Picture: Getty Images)It seems like any week is a controversial week to be Kanye West, this week just happened to be the one where it all came crashing down.
The past seven days have seen Ye lose expensive brand partnerships, the goodwill of his A-list mates, and even a substantial chunk of his wealth. That Adidas contract alone accounts for as much as £1.3 billion of Ye’s net worth, according to Forbes.
And yet, he just keeps going. West’s most recent outbursts initially began at Paris Fashion Week where he opened his Yeezy season nine show wearing a White Lives Matter T-shirt. He then posted a series of anti-semitic remarks on social media, including a threat to go “DEFCON 3” on Jewish people, which led to his accounts being suspended on both Instagram and Twitter. You think he might have backed off by this point, but no.
It didn’t silence him, and Ye made it very clear he thought he was infallible earlier this week, where he said on a podcast: “'I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can't drop me. Now what?” West was then dropped by Adidas.
The house of cards has come tumbling down, because every time Kanye opens his mouth another brand is given more reason to cut ties with him. So here’s how it’s gone down for Ye this week, day by day, controversy by controversy.
Friday October 21, Balenciaga drops him
Kanye’s been like a bull in a fashion world china shop this month, coming after Vogue editors and baiting his brand partnerships – but Balenciaga was the next thing to break. Following his anti-semitic Twitter comments on 9 October, Balenciaga announced its decision to part ways with the rapper, a significant move considering he literally just opened their SS23 show in Paris the month before and has been closely linked with the brand for years.
In a statement to WWD, Kering, Balenciaga’s parent company, said: “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.” Yikes.
Following the news, claims emerged that Kanye had immediately hired lawyer Camila Vasquez, best known for representing Johnny Depp in his recent highly publicised legal battle against ex-wife Amber Heard. This professional relationship didn’t last long, but we’ll get to that.
Saturday October 22, Ye holds weird press conference outside daughter’s basketball game
When Ye was leaving his daughter North West’s basketball game on Saturday night he stopped to speak to paparazzi outside, ending up hosting a sort of strange impromptu Kanye West press conference in the parking lot, which TMZ said “looked and felt like a campaign stop”.
The rapper, wearing a 2024 cap in reference to his campaign to run for president in two years’ time, refused to apologise for his anti-semitic comments, instead saying: “I want to talk about the Jewish comment, it’s actually proving the exact point that I made. So many actors have been bullied behind the scenes, so you’ve even got people like [American businessman] Ari Emanuel asking for people not to do business with me, that’s how this town has been running for so so long. They’ll mute you, they’ll try to mute you at all costs.”
To make matters worse, earlier in the day demonstrators in LA were seen giving Nazi salutes as they stood behind a large overpass banner that read, “Kanye is right about the Jews.” Yikes.
Sunday October 23, Kardashians publicly support the Jewish community
On Sunday, the Kardashians seemed to publicly acknowledge Ye’s antisemitic behaviour for the first time, with Khloe Kardashian sharing the popular Instagram post which reads “I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people” to her story.
That same day, Kim Kardashian was spotted leaving a hotel with Ivanka Trump, which attracted instant backlash. But all may not be as it seems: Ivanka Trump is Jewish, and converted to the faith when she married her husband Jared Kushner in 2009. A source from inside the restaurant told TMZ that the two women had discussed how to handle a family member who says things you disagree with. Much to think about.
Monday October 24, Ye is dropped by his Hollywood talent agency
The tie cutting continues. Amid growing calls at every brand that has ever had anything to do with Kanye West to drop him, CAA lands a huge blow by cutting ties with the star. The talent agency, which represents the likes of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, confirmed the news to Deadline but did not provide a statement.
Moreover, film and TV producer MRC also announced that it would halt distribution of a Kanye West documentary on Monday, October 24. “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” an MRC spokesperson said in a statement. “The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising. What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defense.”
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 (@KimKardashian) October 24, 2022
Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Kris Jenner have all shared that Instagram graphic on their stories, and Kim has tweeted about the controversy, saying: “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.” Essentially, in a meme format: the Kardashians have announced that they will no longer be working with Ye.
Tuesday October 25, Adidas terminates partnership
Oof, there it is. On Tuesday, Adidas finally bowed to pressure and cut ties with Ye, despite years of lucrative Yeezy collaborations. In a statement, the company 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.
“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.”
Wednesday October 26, Kanye turns up to Skechers and has to be escorted out
In the aftermath of the Adidas break up, Ye turned up to the Skechers head office in LA, presumably to forge some sort of deal. He was then escorted off the premises, due to his presence being “unannounced and uninvited”, and allegedly also engaging in “unauthorised filming”.
In a statement, the company said: “Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West. We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech. The Company would like to again stress that West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices.”
Thursday October 27, Donda Academy is closed, no wait, it’s open
Yesterday was a big one for Kanye. West’s newly established private school, Donda Academy, suddenly announced that it would be closing for the rest of the school year in a surprise email to parents, stating: “At the discretion of our founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately. There is no school tomorrow.”
Hours later, the school was announced to be reopen … with a vengance? The later email, obtained by TMZ, read: “With the help of our parents and community, we are back and returning with a vengeance! […] The children of Donda are going to change the world!”
Then, just to top things off, CNN dropped the bombshell that Kanye has allegedly been obsessed with Hitler for years, and even wanted to name one of his latest albums after him. Great.
Who knows what the next week will bring?
