Popular musician Kanye West, who holds five music awards and 84 platinum songs, sparked an uproar of hate toward him for numerous scandals this past year causing him to lose partnerships with major brands. Since late 2022 he has gained a list of controversies that feel as if they’re never going to end. 

Beginning Oct. 3, West held a private show for Paris Fashion Week and invited 100 guests. During this showing, he was seen wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt. The outfit was critiqued by the public because it seemed to have been in opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. This did not settle well with his fans, and just shortly after, a photo of West posing with conservative author Candice Owens went viral, which gained even more negative attention after his arrogant actions.

Just a few days later, a concerning series of events occurred. On Oct. 7, West posted on Instagram in response to his feud with the rapper Diddy and claimed that the artist is being controlled by Jewish people, which resulted in his suspension from the site. This comment sparked immediate outrage from fans. Supporting West can be seen as endorsing these comments, which should not be encouraged. On Oct. 10, after an absence from Twitter, he returned with other antisemitic comments and threatened Jewish people. This behavior is what prompted brands to stop sponsoring West. 

Later that month, brands who have worked with West announced they would be leaving their partnership with him. JP Morgan Chase decided to cut ties with him saying that the bank will keep the accounts in place until Nov. 21 2022, after which West needed to get his accounts transferred to another financial institution. The public applauded this behavior as west does not deserve the support. He was also featured in a podcast called Drink Champs, the award winning show hosted by N.O.R.E. in this episode he talked about his differing views on George Floyds death and spoke about his “White Lives Matter ” T-shirt. Drink Champs then later announced that the video would be taken down as the episode held offensive and inaccurate information. The artist publicly making these horrid comments is an invitation for well deserved hate, seeing as his fans are dropping daily.

Popular designer brand Balenciaga announced they were ending their connections with West on Oct. 21 as well. Even Vogue, who had a partnership with West tying back to 2009, ended their relationship with him. The biggest clothing brand that decided to stop partnering with him was Adidas. A damage of $246 million was lost on Adidas’s side as they decided to stop paying West because they do not tolerate any hate speech or antisemitism. This is when West lost his status as a billionaire, and his net worth shrank from $2 billion to $400 million. West has worked hard for his achievements he earned throughout his career, yet arrogant and ugly comments ruined that for him. 

It is crucial that these bigger corporations are separating from West because partnership with him means support of his wrong doing. Staying by his side while these comments are made reflects on the company’s ideals. Business will not look as good for them after seeing they stick with a racist and inconsiderate public figure such as West. 

    Even after all his lost support, West has yet to change or learn his lesson and has inspired clothing retailers to profit off of his behavior. The clothing being produced is for his 2024 presidential campaign slogan that resembles an antisemitic symbol. It reads “Ye 24,” and is designed to look like a pair of swastikas. He also made several racist remarks such as how he “likes Hitler” and claimed that Nazis were not the absolute worst. West must have his voice muted before he influences his younger fans poorly.

The internet reacted to these events with hate, confusion, and of course memes. With the new year in full swing, his fans have yet to know what the incoming issues with West will be. Although one thing is for sure: no one is looking forward to what he has to say next. 

Contact Grace Swisher at [email protected]