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Adidas has been called on in a petition to sever ties with Kanye West after his antisemitic comments, as A-list celebrities line up to support the campaign.
Friends star David Schwimmer led the Hollywood call to action for the global sportswear company to end its relationship with the controversial rapper.
A Change.org petition started by Campaign Against Antisemitism to pressure Adidas into cutting ties with Ye—the name which West now goes by—has already gained almost 60,000 signatures.
The Friends actor was one of many celebrities to share the petition to their social media, with Schwimmer posting it to his Instagram stories.
Over the past couple of weeks, Ye has made alarming comments about Jewish people, including writing on Twitter that he was "going death con 3 on Jewish people."
He then followed that up on October 16 on the Drink Champs podcast where among many antisemitic comments, he also bragged Adidas could not drop him.
West started working with Adidas in 2015 on his Yeezy sneaker collections.
"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?" West said.
West's influence has seen a spate of public antisemitic actions and he must be held accountable for his actions, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told Newsweek.
"Ye's recent repeated antisemitic outbursts include direct threats to the Jewish community, age-old tropes surrounding Jewish power and the assertion that 'Jewish people own the Black voice,'" they explained.
"His influence is real. Over the weekend, white supremacists performing Nazi salutes hung a banner over a busy Los Angeles freeway stating: 'Kanye is right about the Jews.'
"His views are endorsed by those who share the ideology that exterminated 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, prompting fear and outrage among Jews worldwide."
The spokesperson pointed to other multinational companies that have stopped working with West since his comments and said it was time for Adidas to do the same.
"Brands such as Balenciaga and Vogue have officially ended their partnerships with him, and it is past time that Adidas, Ye's longstanding friend and partner, does the same," they told Newsweek.
"By continuing to align itself with a virulent antisemite, Adidas is demonstrating that it does not care about racism against Jews, and the tens of thousands who have signed our petition so far agree."
The spokesperson pointed to West's claims he could get away with antisemitism and Adidas would still keep him on board.
"Adidas must answer Ye's question: It must denounce antisemitism and end its partnership with Ye," they declared.
Other celebrities to endorse the Change.org campaign included Jerry Seinfeld's wife, Jessica Seinfeld, Will & Grace star Debra Messing and actor Adam Goldberg.
Newsweek reached out to Adidas for comment.
The petition for Ye to be dropped by Adidas comes after Newsweek revealed why major bank JPMorgan cut ties with the "Jesus Walks" rapper.
Earlier this month, controversial pundit Candace Owens tweeted that West had been "kicked out" by the bank with "no official reason given."
She shared screenshots allegedly from JPMorgan to West severing their "banking relationship" and asking him to move his finances to another institution.
But a source told Newsweek the letter was dated September 20—a month before his latest controversial comments.
In fact, the decision was made after West had made negative comments about the bank and its executives in early September, but later deleted the posts.
West made further antisemitic comments on NewsNation's Cuomo on October 18 where he said: "Jewish people own the Black voice."
He then appeared on Piers Morgan's TalkTV show on Friday where he labeled the host a "Karen" for challenging him on his antisemitic comments.
When asked if he regretted his comments, West replied: "No, absolutely not. Absolutely not."
Morgan told him he "should be" sorry.
"When you insult the Jewish people and say you're 'going death con 3 on the Jewish people,' that is as racist as anything you say you've been through and any pain that you've experienced," he told the rapper. "It's the same thing. Racism is racism and you know that."
West said he was aware his comments were racist, but he had "fought fire with fire."
"I'm not here to get hosed down. I'm a different type of freedom fighter," he said, but later apologized. "I will say I'm sorry for the people that I hurt with the death con, with the confusion."
West said: "I feel like I caused hurt and confusion and I am sorry for the families of the people who had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through. I used my platform where you say, I hurt people, and I was hurt."
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more