Kanye West has lost his billionaire status now that Adidas is no longer doing business with him.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the athletic company said Tuesday following West’s anti-Semitic comments.
“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 arrangement with the German sporting brand accounted for $1.5 billion of West’s net worth, putting him at $400 million without it.
West, who officially changed his name to Ye, had collaborated with Adidas on his Yeezy brand of footwear since 2013. Gap, Balenciaga, and Vogue have also ended their collaborations with West.
Adidas’ decision to break relations with West brings an end to a weeks-long scandal in which the 45-year-old “All of the Lights” rapper spewed anti-Semitic remarks.
“I can say anti-Semitic s–t, and Adidas cannot drop me,” West said on the “Drink Champs” podcast earlier this month.
The bold statement, which has now been proven false, came after West declared that he would go “death con 3” on Jews. West was most likely referring to “defcon,” a military term that implies “raise in force preparedness over regular readiness.”
West also blasted “Jewish media” for internet silence after posting a screenshot of his phone chats with Diddy in which the rapper remarked,“This ain’t a game. Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”