Adidas ends cooperation with Kanye West due to offensive and anti-Semitic comments

LONDON — Adidas has stopped working with the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, because of his offensive and anti-Semitic remarks.

“Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hatred,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. “Ye’s recent comments and actions were unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and violate the company’s values ​​of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.

It comes after the German sportswear company faced pressure to end its relationship with Ye, with celebrities and others on social media calling on Adidas to act. Earlier this month, the company said it was reviewing its lucrative sneaker deal with the rapper.

Adidas is the latest company to cut ties with Yewho was also suspended from Twitter and Instagram for anti-Semitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies.

He recently suggested that slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine “the mark of the beast,” among other comments. He was also criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt at the Yeezy collection show in Paris.

Ye’s talent agency, CAA, dropped him, and studio MRC announced on Monday that it was shelving a full-length documentary about him.

Fashion house Balenciaga cut ties with Ye last week, according to Women’s Wear Daily. JPMorganChase and Ye ended their business relationship, although a split of the banks was in the works before Ye’s anti-Semitic comments.

Ye also ended his company’s partnership with Gap in recent weeks and told Bloomberg that he plans to cut ties with his corporate suppliers.

After being kicked out of Twitter and Facebook, Ye offered to buy the conservative social network Parler.

On Saturday, protesters at an overpass in Los Angeles unfurled a banner praising E’s anti-Semitic comments, sparking an outcry on social media as celebrities and others said they stood by the Jewish people.

Read the statement in full:

“Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other forms of hatred. Yeh’s recent comments and actions were unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and violate the company’s values ​​of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.

After careful consideration, the company has decided to immediately terminate its partnership with Ye, stop production of Yeezy-branded products, and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas is discontinuing the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.

This is expected to have a short-term negative impact of up to 250 million on the company’s net income in 2022, given the high seasonality of the fourth quarter.

adidas is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products, as well as previous and new colorways within the partnership. Additional information will be provided as part of the company’s Q3 earnings announcement on November 9, 2022.”