Kanye West is in the news again over more anti-Semitic statements, including allegedly telling a Jewish manager at Adidas to kiss a picture of Hitler daily.
The New York Times reports that Ye — who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder — began his first meeting with Adidas back in 2013 with anti-Semitism when he allegedly drew a swastika on a shoe to show how offended he was by the teams’ designs.
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The exposé also claimed that the “Donda” artist often subjected the Adidas team to his tears and fury and once forced Adidas executives to watch pornography to find creativity.
“He later advised a Jewish Adidas manager to kiss a picture of Hitler every day,” reports the New York Times. “And he told a member of the company’s executive board that he had paid a seven-figure settlement to one of his own senior employees who accused him of repeatedly praising the architect of the Holocaust.”
West also allegedly told Adidas executives that he admired Hitler’s propaganda skills. The Adidas executives reportedly tolerated Ye’s frequent outbursts and tried to appease him due to their lucrative partnership.
His Adidas shoes, Yeezys, made over $1 billion annually. In 2015, West was also accused of upsetting Adidas staff with “angry, sexually crude comments” while preparing for the first Yeezy collection at New York Fashion Week.
In a NYT expose, they reported that Kanye West advised a Jewish Adidas employee to kiss a picture of Hitler every day.https://t.co/eY8LcThyeH pic.twitter.com/5pf37YgfVa
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) October 27, 2023
The 46-year-old also allegedly “hurled shoes around the room” during a 2019 meeting with Adidas executives and claimed “this is slavery” multiple times during the Adidas partnership.
The company finally ended the business relationship last October after West posted he was going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” on Twitter, the platform now known as X. The company claimed it “has no tolerance for hate speech and offensive behavior, which is why the company terminated the Adidas Yeezy partnership.”
One fan remarked, “He needs to be put in a mental health facility with a 5150. Today.” Another added, “And they still wanted to work with him.”
According to Forbes, West’s net worth dropped to $400 million following the end of his Adidas partnership. Adidas announced in March that they would be selling their remaining supply of Yeezy sneakers. The company reported $437 million worth of Yeezy sales last quarter.
