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Kanye West has spoken out about Balenciaga, saying that the ongoing scandal surrounding the embattled luxury fashion house proves that "all celebrities are controlled."
The controversial rapper was filmed by celebrity gossip site X17 while exiting a Messianic church over the weekend.
"They tried to destroy me in [the] press. They tried to destroy all of my businesses at the same time, and the world saw it. And no one is saying anything," said West, who legally changed his name to Ye.
"This just shows you all celebrities are controlled. You don't see no celebrities talking about the Balenciaga situation, right? So that just shows you: All of these celebrities out here—don't let them influence you in any way, because they're controlled by the people who really influence the world."
Critics have slammed Balenciaga in recent days over a campaign featuring young children holding bondage-clad teddy bear handbags. Some on social media have even linked its latest photo shoots to "child porn."
Balenciaga severed its relationship with West last month after he made a series of antisemitic statements, including a tweet that he was "going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE."
At the same time that Ye is pushing back on Balenciaga, his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, has faced blowback for how long it took her to condemn the campaign. The reality star, who is an ambassador for the brand, criticized it Sunday on Twitter.
"As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images," Kardashian wrote in a tweet. "The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society—period."
As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 27, 2022
Kardashian went on to say that she is "currently re-evaluating" her ties to the brand.
Other celebrities also publicly bashed Balenciaga over the weekend.
Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams urged changemakers to take a stand against the brand in a Sunday tweet. Real Housewives of New York City alumna Bethenny Frankel clapped back against celebrities' silence in an Instagram post.
Newsweek reached out to representatives for West and Balenciaga for comment.
Update 11/28/22, 12:27 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
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About the writer
Simone Carter is a Newsweek reporter based in Texas. Her focus is covering all things in national news. Simone joined ... Read more