On the morning of October 4th, many woke to photos of rapper Ye, formally known as Kanye West, wearing a ‘white lives matter’ shirt, standing next to conservative commentator Candace Owens. Reactions were swift with many users across social media expressing shock but for most of us, this fell right in line with him wearing a MAGA hat and saying slavery was a choice.
Vogue’s global fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson was then bullied and berated by West after she called his actions “irresponsible.” This caused a wave of support from large names in the industry such as Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber coming to her defense. But this was only the start for Ye and he would soon come to find the ramifications of his behavior.
Parts of this article will reference offensive language, including quotes of antisemitic comments.
Kanye West’s Antisemitic Comments
Then not even a week later, the rapper tweeted that he was “going death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE”, then proceeded to add, “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” The post has since been removed but it came after he accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of being controlled by “the Jewish people.” These comments were clearly antisemitic and West was removed from Instagram and Twitter due to hate speech, but he didn’t stop there.
West then went on to conduct several bizarre interviews with Piers Morgan—after previously doing one with Tucker Carlson—where he tried to justify his bigotry and antisemitism. In these interviews, it seemed like the only thing he was clinging to was the fact that he was a billionaire. Well … the chickens have come home to roost and he’s the one that called them. Without further ado, here are all the brands and companies that dropped Kanye West, causing him to lose his billionaire status. For now—I’m sure there will be more to come.
The Gap
Before Fashion Week even began, Ye gave notice to The Gap that he was ending their contract due to a breach of contract, which resulted in the company severing ties in September. The deal was inked in 2020 and was meant for a 10-year period, but it came to a screeching halt only two years later.
Ye also accused the company of stealing designs and keeping him out of meetings. On October 25, the brand shut down its Yeezy-related website and said in a statement that it was “taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores.” In regards to the antisemitic comments they said, “antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values.”
Def Jam
The rapper and producer had a 10-year deal with Def Jam which was fulfilled with the release of 2021’s Donda. According to a statement by Universal Music Group, “Def Jam’s relationship with Ye as a recording artist, Def Jam’s partnership with the GOOD Music label venture and Ye’s merchandise agreement with Bravado all ended in 2021.”
They went on to denounce antisemitism, saying, “There is no place for antisemitism in our society. We are deeply committed to combating antisemitism and every other form of prejudice.” At this point, I’m certain that no major recording label will ever touch him with a 10-foot pole.
JP Morgan Chase
Though not directly a cause of West’s harmful remarks, Chase was caught in the whirlwind purely due to timing. Ye had previously criticized the bank for not giving him access to their CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon. He also said he planned to cut ties with the bank but in a “gotcha” moment, they cut ties with him first.
According to sources, West received a letter on September 20 informing him of the Bank’s decision, giving him 60 days to find a new financial institution. This matter became conflated with his bigoted remarks when Candace Owens posted said letter on October 12.
Instagram and Twitter
The social media giants Instagram and Twitter were the first to take action against West, since it was their platforms being used to spread hate speech. Ye began his comments on Instagram and after being restricted, he moved to Twitter where the same thing happened. Both companies have removed the offending statements, but as of October 27, full access to his Instagram and Twitter have been restored.
Balenciaga
Over the years, West has cultivated a close relationship with Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia, which is why he was allowed to open for them for fashion week. On October 21, the brand announced it too had cut ties with West. In a statement from their parent company Kering, the brand said, “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.” And thus the scrubbing began.
All traces of Ye were removed from the brand’s Instagram, as well as Vogue photos that had been there previously. The brand has also removed its section dedicated to Yeezy Gap, Engineered by Balenciaga, which launched back in January.
Creative Arts Agency
On October 24, CAA, notably one of the most influential talent agencies in Los Angeles, dropped West from its roster.
MRC
Shortly after the CAA, MRC — a company focused on film and television production — announced that it would shelve a completed documentary about West instead of airing it.
MRC executives said in a statement on October 24: “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform. 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.”
Adidas
Kanye has been in a one-sided public beef with Adidas for months because they have consistently refused to engage with him. Falling in line with his critiques of The Gap, Ye claimed that Adidas stole his designs and left him out of planning. During the beginning stages of his complaints, there were notable celebrities who came to his defense such as Nia Long and Diddy.
However, none of that matters anymore because due to mounting pressure, the brand released a statement: “After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review.”
On Twitter, Ye responded, “F— ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS.” The brand responded on October 25 that it would immediately end production of all Yeezy products and stop all payments to West and his affiliates. The loss of this partnership cost Ye his billionaire status.
Foot Locker
Later that same day, Foot Locker announced that it would be removing all Yeezy products from the floor and instructed sales associates to wait for further instructions.
Peloton
In an unexpected statement, the stationary-bike company announced it would no longer be using West’s music in connection with its products.
In a statement released on October 25, the company said: “We take this issue very seriously and can confirm Peloton indefinitely paused the use of Kanye West’s music on our platform. 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.”
TJX Companies
The multinational cooperation which operates chains like Ross and Marshalls released a statement on the 26th that they would no longer procure any Yeezy Merchandise.
The corporation said: “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.”
Madame Tussauds London
According to the BBC, the famed wax museum has removed West’s model and placed it in an archive.
These are just the brands that Ye has had some sort of relationship with, whether it be formal or informal. If he continues like this (he most likely will), there will be companies that preemptively come out to condemn his actions. But one thing’s for certain, the world is surely crumbling around Ye. Amidst everything that’s going on, he was recently removed from the headquarters of sketchers and there have been calls to remove his music from Spotify and Apple Music.
(featured image: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
