There’s an old adage that in the world of celebrities and fame, any news is good news. Apparently Ye has taken it upon himself to prove that’s 100 percent untrue. In fact, he went to the lowest common denominator of all ill-advised topics by declaring his admiration and affection for Adolf Hitler and Nazis.
While Ye seems blissfully ignorant to the ramifications, somewhere, his public relations manager is having a nervous breakdown thanks to the rapper’s ongoing battle with oral diarrhea.
The former Kanye West, who recently announced his intent to run for the U.S. presidency, has quickly become the poster child for antisemitism and hate speech. This time around, Ye commented that he loves Hitler and Nazis during an appearance on Alex Jones’ InfoWars. As Billboard reported, Ye told Jones, “I don’t like the word ‘evil’ next to Nazis. … I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.” He would go on to “promote love,” adding, “I do love Hitler. I do love the Zionists.”
The Jewish Federation of North America quickly took to social media, where the group condemned Ye’s comments.
Besides making a case for being the single most despised human being on the planet, Ye has already lost over $1 billion thanks to his antisemitic views, and things are only getting worse.
In October, his racist comments cost him dearly when a number of companies cut ties with Ye, including Adidas, GAP, JPMorgan Chase, Def Jam, Instagram, Foot Locker, and others. Just when it didn’t seem possible, his InfoWars appearance has dug his hole much deeper, and the next wave of financial fallout should be imminent.
Although Adidas and GAP are in the process of “yeeting” Ye, it’s not as simple as making a public announcement. Of course, the latest controversy should bolster those efforts. Along with the sponsorship losses, there’s also his divorce settlement with Kim Kardashian. According to Forbes, the former billionaire is reportedly worth about $400 million now. The publication estimated that his remaining wealth is tied to his real estate, music catalog, and the 5% ownership he holds in Kardashian’s SKIMS shapewear brand, although Forbes added that Ye hasn’t been associated with the company since 2019.
Certainly, Ye’s enormous financial losses are eye catching, but there’s a much larger problem here. Alarmingly, antisemitism has been on the rise in recent years, and Ye’s remarks add fuel to a fire that desperately needs quenching. No doubt his admiration for the perpetrators of the Holocaust is startling to say the least. Hitler and the Nazis carried out the execution of approximately six million European Jews and five million prisoners of war, Romany, Jehovah’s Witnesses, LGBT, and other victims, according to the National WWII Museum New Orleans.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents reached an “all-time high” in 2021, and 2022 is on a similar track. This includes assault, harassment, and vandalism. For more information on the dangers of antisemitic rhetoric and what you can do to stop it, see the American Jewish Committee’s Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America.