Kanye West Says He Lost ‘$2 Billion in One Day’ After Ban Over Antisemitism
Kanye #Kanye
Kanye West has returned to Instagram almost three weeks after he was locked out of his account for antisemitic comments.
The beleaguered rapper and fashion designer, who has legally changed his name to Ye, was barred from posting on the platform on October 9. Multiple businesses have cut ties with him since his remarks.
West, 45, mentioned his change of fortunes in one of his first posts on Wednesday night, addressing a message to Ari Emanuel, the CEO of powerhouse talent agency Endeavor, who had criticized his “misguided hate” in a newspaper op-ed.
In the post, captioned “LOVE SPEECH,” Ye wrote: “I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am.”
Ye’s month of controversy began at his October 3 Yeezy fashion show in Paris. He appeared wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words “White Lives Matter,” a slogan commonly used by white supremacists as well as opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement.
After the backlash, West shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a text message exchange with Sean “Diddy” Combs, in which he responded to the rap mogul’s objection to his stunt by saying he would “show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
Kanye West Antisemitic Comments: All The Fallout And Backlash Explained
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
Click to expand
UP NEXT
After West’s since-removed post led to his Instagram account being restricted, the musician continued sharing his thoughts on Twitter.
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” West posted in a tweet that is no longer available. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
The antisemitic statements led to Ye being locked out of his Instagram and Twitter accounts, but he made similar remarks in subsequent interviews, prompting a number of businesses to cut ties with him.
On October 19, Emanuel wrote in his op-ed for the Financial Times that those who “continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience. There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s antisemitism. This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential. Silence and inaction are not an option.”
During an episode of the Drink Champs podcast, Ye asserted that Adidas would not drop him despite his behavior. He has worked with the sportswear giant on his Yeezy sneaker collections since 2015.
“The thing about me and Adidas is, like, I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they can’t drop me. I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” Ye said during the October 16 interview.
Adidas proved him wrong on Tuesday when it announced the end of their business relationship.
The company told Newsweek in a statement that it “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.”
Forbes has reported that the end of the business relationship caused Ye’s net worth to plummet from $2 billion to a comparatively humble $400 million.
On his return to Instagram, West also shared a meme about his calamitous month. “Ye has reportedly cut ties with Kanye West,” read the mock headline, which Ye captioned: “Had to cut ties bro.”
Also on Wednesday, shoe company Skechers announced that Ye had been escorted out of its Los Angeles headquarters after turning up uninvited.
In a statement, Skechers said Ye had “arrived unannounced and without invitation at one of Skechers’ corporate offices in Los Angeles. Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation.
“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.”
Newsweek has reached out to a representative of Ye for comment.
Update 10/27/22, 5:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add extra information.
Related Articles
Start your unlimited Newsweek trial