Kanye West has offered a public apology to the Jewish community after a string of anti-Semitic remarks in recent weeks. In a statement shared on Instagram on Tuesday (December 26), the Yeezy mogul expressed remorse for his words and actions, acknowledging the pain they caused.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” a translation of the text, which was written in Hebrew, reads.Â
Recognizing the need for personal growth, West continued, “I am committed to learning from this experience and growing in my understanding and sensitivity. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to using my platform to promote unity and understanding.”
West’s apology comes after facing significant backlash for his views and multiple inflammatory statements about Jewish people. These included threatening to go, “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” and suggesting on “Drink Champs” that Jewish people control the media and Hollywood. He also claimed to see “good things about Hitler” during an appearance on Alex Jones’ Infowars show, a platform known for promoting conspiracy theories and antisemitic rhetoric.
His incendiary remarks triggered a cascade of consequences, leading to bans from multiple social media platforms and ultimately, a severed partnership with Adidas. This cost him dearly, with his net worth dropping from a reported $2 billion to $400 million.
“adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech,” a statement from adidas read. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
The statement continued: “After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. adidas will stop the adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”
