Very few people have had such a quick and public loss of popularity as Kanye West. He was one of the most respected and loved rappers and entrepreneurs but in recent years he has become a controversial figure.
During 2022, West spread hurtful, dangerous and hateful comments about Jewish people around on social media and in interviews.
As a result of Kanye’s hateful comments, several companies, brands and figureheads have now dropped and distanced themselves from him. Forbes also reported that Kanye has also now lost his billionaire status.
Kanye has been dropped by everyone from clothing brands to his talent agency and even his lawyers! Here is how Kanye lost his billionaire status and became a controversial figures in the entertainment industry.
10/10 Adidas
Kanye’s long-running Yeezy collaboration with Adidas has now been dropped following pressure on the brad to cut ties with the Golddigger rapper. The brand accounted for 10% of Adidas’ annual revenue, bringing in around $2 billion a year.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement that many felt was too late. “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 continued, “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.”
9/10 Vogue And Anna Wintour
The-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, has also cut ties with Kanye. A spokesperson for Vogue told Page Six that following his recent antisemitic comments and White Lives Matter stunt, Wintour nor the magazine will be working with West.
At the start of October 2022, Kanye attacked Vogue‘s Global Contributing Fashion Editor-at-Large, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, after she called out his White Lives Matter shirts which he showcased during his Yeezy show at Paris Fashion Week. He made a series of insulting posts about her on social media, leading to condemnation from the fashion world.
8/10 Gap
Gap is another fashion brand that severed ties with Kanye. The retailer announced that it would be removing all Yeezy Gap products from its stores and will be shutting down the dedicated e-commerce site.
Gap said that in a statement that the “former partner’s recent remarks and behaviour further underscore why [it ended the Yeezy Gap partnership]”.
“Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organisations that combat hate and discrimination,” Gap’s statement reads.
7/10 Fashion House Balenciaga
Balenciaga, who recently collaborated with Ye on his Yeezy Gap line, also officially cut ties from the artist. He walked for the brand at Paris Fashion Week.
According to a statement from the brand’s parent company Kering, “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.
6/10 MRC Entertainment
MRC Entertainment officially cut ties with West and shelved a recently completed documentary about the artist with no plans to release it.
After the success of Netflix’s Jeen-Yuhs, a documentary about the rapper which came out in January, a second film was commissioned by US network MRC but now will not see the light of day.
In a statement, the company said: “Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3000 years – the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain.”
“This song was performed acapella in the time of the Pharaohs, Babylon and Rome, went acoustic with The Spanish Inquisition and Russia’s Pale of Settlement, and Hitler took the song electric. Kanye has now helped mainstream it in the modern era,” the letter revealed.
5/10 The Kardashians
The Kardashian/Jenner family are also distancing themselves from him and his comments.
Ex-wife Kim Kardashian posted her own statement condemning the antisemitic hate that has re-emerged following Kanye’s comments, but did not mention him by name.
Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner have also shared a viral Instagram post sharing their support for Jewish people, but again did not mention Kanye by name.
4/10 CAA
Not only has Kanye’s representation, CCA, dropped him – but the entire agency now refuses to be associated with the Grammy-winning artist.
The Creative Arts Agency (CAA), which has represented him since 2016, didn’t want to release a statement on the matter, but the news was confirmed by Deadline.
3/10 His Divorce Lawyer
Even Kanye’s divorce lawyers, Cohen Clair Lans Greifer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP, have washed their hands of him.
The firm who represented him during his high profile divorce from Kim Kardashian in 2021 – but have now confirmed they’re no longer working with him. “I can confirm we’re no longer representing Ye,” solicitor Stephan Cohen said to the Washington Post.
Shortly after the Adidas and Gap announcements, a spokesperson for Foot Locker explained that the company “will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites.” The retailer will remain in business with Adidas in regards to other brands.
TJX – the parent company of TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshalls – advised its purchasing teams to “not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”
“At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind,” the company revealed in a statement.
1/10 Madame Tussaud London
The museum’s London spot removed a wax figure of West from public view. The figure was first revealed alongside a waxwork of Kim Kardashian in 2015.
“Ye’s figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive,” revealed a spokesperson. “Each profile earns their place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction.”
