Adidas is facing increased pressure from netizens to sever ties with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after he made a series of anti-Semitic comments.
Social media users started calling out the German sports brand after an anti-Semitic hate group hang a banner on a Los Angeles freeway on Saturday that said “Kanye is right about the Jews.” Local politicians, social media users and other celebrities spoke out about the incident.
Adidas, which began its partnership with Ye in 2013, began trending on Twitter on Monday. Representatives for the company and Ye did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Others in the fashion and entertainment industries got away from Ye following his words.
The luxury fashion house Balenciaga broken links with him on Friday. Prominent talent agency CAA dropped him as a client, Variety reported on Monday. A recently completed documentary about Ye, directed by Hollywood financier and producer MRC, has also been shelved, according to Variety.
Adidas said this month it was reassessing its partnership with Ye after it donned a “White Lives Matter” shirt during Paris Fashion Week.
“After repeated efforts to resolve the situation privately, we have made the decision to submit the partnership for review,” Adidas said in a statement. statement. “We will continue to co-manage the current product during this time.”
Many social media users calling Adidas specifically pointed to a clip of Ye discussing his partnership with the brand.
“The problem is, it’s Adidas,” he says in the video, which has been widely reposted online. “…I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t let me go. Now what?”
A Twitter user wrote“It’s truly amazing that Kanye West can say, ‘I can say anti-Semitic things and @adidas can’t let go of me’, and Adidas chooses to do just that. Their silence speaks volumes.”
“Hello @adidas, it’s not that difficult or complicated and your continued silence speaks volumes,” wrote actor Josh Charles.
“She’s not a good person,” actor Josh Gad wrote on Twitter in response to the clip. Hey @adidas is that true? matter? Ask a friend.”
“The world is watching, @adidas,” actor Kat Dennings tweeted.
Kim Kardashian, Ye’s ex-wife, tweeted Monday that she pledged to “stand with the Jewish community and call for an immediate end to the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric directed against it.” She didn’t mention Ye or Adidas in the tweet.
In a tweet mondayAnti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt highlighted a petition from the nonprofit group titled “Tell Adidas to Flee Anti-Semitism.”
“Thousands of signatures, and still no word, @adidas? he wrote. “Your silence is a danger to the Jews. We can’t let Ye’s #anti-Semitism normalize – we must all demand Adidas #RunAwayFromHate by condemning his racist rhetoric and re-evaluating their partnership.
The non-profit group Stop Antisemitism also interviewed Adidas.
“WHY is @Adidas Green igniting Kanye West’s Jewish hatred and not dropping his brand deal?” the organization tweetednoting that the brand had previously severed business ties with other major celebrities, such as Kurt Zouma and Teyana Tayloron other controversies.
Some on social media have also expressed their disappointment with retailer Gap.
Ye announced last month that he had ended its collaboration with Gap following disagreements over the distribution of Yeezy Gap.
But several people online have pointed out that Gap appears to continue to market the Yeezy Gap collection.
“Hi @Gap. I’m Jewish and @kanyewest hates me so I don’t really appreciate this ad in my inbox,” one Twitter user said. wrote. “I don’t know why you keep promoting this collaboration. I never plan to shop at your stores again.”
A Gap spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Difference told CNN last month that it will continue to sell its existing Yeezy Gap products in its stores and on its website. He said he will also continue to sell Yeezy Gap’s upcoming collections in the fall and first half of 2023.