Adidas ends partnership with Kanye West over antisemitic comments
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 02: Kanye West aka Ye is seen wearing a Balenciaga boxing mouthguard, outside Givenchy, during Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 - Day Seven on October 02, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC
Retail giant Adidas said Tuesday that it terminated its partnership with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, following his recent remarks.
"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement. "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."
Adidas said the decision came following a "thorough review."
It will end production of Yeezy-branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies, effective immediately.
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The move is expected to have a short-term negative impact of up to 250 million euros on the company’s net income in 2022, given the high seasonality of the fourth quarter.
In a recent post on Twitter, West said he would go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE."
The comment drew a sharp rebuke from the Anti-Defamation League, which called the tweet "deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic, period."
Ye is now locked out of Twitter and Instagram over antisemitic posts that the networks said violated their policies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.