Kanye West’s Latest Controversies: Hitler Comment, Twitter Ban, Kim Kardashian Divorce and Current Net Worth

Kanye West is facing another backlash after making a spate of anti-Semitic remarks in interviews and on social media.

The rapper, who has been involved in various controversies over the years, appeared on right-wing commentator Alex Jones’ show Infowars on Thursday (December 1st).

During his interview, West made the shocking statement that he “likes Hitler,” sparking a new wave of condemnation from celebrities and former fans.

West had previously been dropped by both Adidas and Balenciaga for making “hateful and dangerous” comments regarding Jews.

West’s latest string of controversies began during Paris Fashion Week in October. At the event, he and right-wing commentator Candace Owens wore White Lives Matter t-shirts.

Faced with criticism online, West – who has legally changed his name to Ye – began sharing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on Instagram, including claims that rapper Diddy is controlled by Jews.

When his account was suspended, West tweeted that he was leaving “Death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

He added: “The funny thing is that I can’t actually be an anti-Semite because black people are actually Jews too. You guys have toyed with me and tried to judge anyone who goes against your agenda [sic].” His Twitter account was also suspended.

At the time, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez commented: “There is absolutely no place for anti-Semitism in this country or in the world… We must reject this [rubbish emoji] wherever we see it.”

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Lizzo and John Legend were also among previous celebrities to call out West, with Legend tweeting, “Strange how all these ‘free independent thinkers’ always end up with the same old anti-blackness and anti-Semitism.”

West stood by his statements and added to them by claiming he “don’t believe” in the term anti-Semitism.

Later in the month, the rapper appeared on the drinking champs Podcast where he continued to share conspiracy theories.

West claimed that George Floyd, who died at the hands of a Minnesota police officer, had actually taken the drug fentanyl and that one police officer’s knee “wasn’t even that on his neck.” In response, the mother of Floyd’s daughter sued Kanye West for $250 million.

Elsewhere in the interview, West shared a flurry of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and dog whistles, and claimed he was “blocked” by the “Jewish media.”

The episode was later deleted, with host NORE apologizing and claiming that the most offensive comments were not destined for final editing.

West then appeared on Piers Morgan’s TalkTV show on Wednesday (October 19) only to call the host a “Karen” when he was challenged for his anti-Semitic comments.

During the interview, Morgan asked West if he regretted tweeting his “Death con 3” comments.

“No, absolutely not,” he replied. “I fought fire with fire. I’m not here to be hosed down.” However, he added that he was “sorry for the people I’ve hurt” and the “confusion I’ve caused.”

In response to West’s podcast comments, many public figures began speaking out against his actions and broader instances of anti-Semitism.

friends Star David Schwimmer wrote on Instagram: “Whether or not Kanye West has a mental illness, there’s no question he’s a fanatic. His hate speech calls for violence against Jews. If you interpret his words differently and defend him, you know what? You are racist.”

West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 and has been open about living with the condition.

Schwimmer continued, “If we don’t challenge someone as influential as Kanye for his divisive, ignorant and anti-Semitic words, then we are complicit. Silence is complicity.”

The fashion world also began to turn its back on him when Balenciaga announced on Friday (October 21) that she “is no longer in a relationship and has no plans for any future projects related to this artist”.

Fashion also said that neither the publication nor editor Anna Wintour had any intention of collaborating with West again.

After Balenciaga severed ties with West, the rapper hired attorney Camille Vasquez to represent him.

But on Monday (24.10), TMZ reported that Vasquez – who represented Johnny Depp in his recent libel case against Amber Heard – had told her firm that she was unwilling to represent West after his comments.

Things got worse over the weekend after a reported group of white supremacists supported West and his anti-Semitic remarks by hanging a banner over a busy Los Angeles freeway.

The banner was reportedly hung over Interstate 405 by the Goyim Defense League and read, “Kanye is right about the Jews.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the organization consists of a loose network of anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists. Photos also show people showing the Hitler salute next to the banner.

Photos of the incident were widely circulated online, and social media users said they proved people took West seriously and that he couldn’t just be ignored.

Many notable figures, including Florence Pugh, were among those who condemned the “appalling” banner.

“Any form of hate speech only fuels it, it grows and spreads like a disease,” she wrote. “Any whisper of anti-Semitism is dangerous and needs to be addressed and eliminated.”

West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian also posted a tweet condemning anti-Semitism.

He was dropped by CAA, one of the largest celebrity talent agencies in the US, on Monday October 24th.

Among the prominent protesters, many explicitly supported Adidas’ calls to stop working with West.

In the since deleted drinking champs West subsequently boasted that no matter what he said, he could keep his partnership with the sportswear brand.

“The thing about Adidas is I can literally say anti-Semitism and they can’t dump me,” the rapper said. “What now?”

After days of mounting pressure, Adidas officially ended its partnership with West “effective immediately” on Tuesday (October 25).

“Adidas does not condone anti-Semitism or any other type of hate speech,” the statement said. “Yes’ recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and violate the company values ​​of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

The Germany-based company said it would stop producing Yeezy-branded products and halt payments to West and its companies. Upon terminating the deal, Adidas said they expect to lose 250 million euros (£217m) in profits this year.

forbes reports that ending the deal means West is no longer a billionaire and his net worth has fallen from $2bn (£1.74bn) to $400m (£348m) overnight.

Later Tuesday, Gap announced that it was taking “immediate steps” to remove West’s Yeezy Gap collaboration merchandise from its stores. The company has also shut down its YeezyGap.com website, which now redirects back to the Gap homepage.

“The recent statements and behavior of our former partner underscore the reason for this,” the company said.

Amid reports that West’s music is set to be removed from Spotify, the company’s CEO said on Wednesday (October 26) that while West’s comments were “terrible,” his music will remain available to subscribers as long as his label allows.

In London, Madame Tussauds removed its wax figure of West from the public.

Later that day, shoe company Skechers claimed the rapper showed up unannounced at their Los Angeles headquarters and had to be “escorted” off the premises.

The company said it “filmed without authorization” at their offices, adding, “Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West.”

On Thursday, December 1, West appeared on the right-wing talk show. Infowars. Host Alex Jones tried to defend the rapper and the reaction to his comments by telling him, “You’re not Hitler, you’re not Nazi, so you don’t deserve to be demonized,” Jones told West.

In response, the “All Falls Down” rapper said, “Well I see good things about Hitler too.”

West later added the statement “I like Hitler” when the show went to a commercial break.

Following those comments, West was suspended from Twitter after his account posted an image of a swastika in the Star of David. Twitter CEO Elon Musk commented that he “tried his best” to stop West from posting hateful messages.

It was also then announced that plans for the rapper to buy right-wing “free speech” platform Parler had ended.