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Boy George has lashed out at Kim Kardashian for failing to criticise ex-husband Kanye West following a series of anti-semitic remarks made by the rapper and entrepreneur.
West, 45, has been universally condemned for sharing a number of vitriolic statements about the Jewish community, among them a tweet a posted to his official Twitter account proclaiming ‘death con 3 on Jewish people.’
His controversial views have prompted growing calls for the star to be dropped by German sports giant Adidas, who manufacture his Yeezy footwear and make upwards of $1.5 billion annually off the deal.
But Culture Club singer George, 61, has hit out at Kardashian – who co-parents four children with West and celebrated her 42nd birthday over the weekend – for not using her considerable social media presence to speak out.
Outrage: Boy George has lashed out at Kim Kardashian for failing to speak out against ex-husband Kanye West following a series of anti-semitic remarks made by the rapper
In a video shared with Instagram followers on Saturday evening, he said: ‘I’m kind of appalled that not more artists have come out and spoke against what he’s saying.
‘I’m appalled that Kim Kardashian hasn’t come out and added her voice to this debate, because this woman has children with Kanye, so she must understand as a mother what it feels like for little Jewish children to hear these f***ing comments, how demoralising and terrifying it must be.’
Visibly emotional, he added: ‘As a gay man I have experienced years of prejudice, you know, so the idea of doing that to someone else based on their race or their colour or their sexuality or their gender is just f***ing appalling to me, and it should be appalling to you.’
Disappointed: Culture Club singer George has criticised Kim – who co-parents four children with West – for not using her considerable social media presence to speak out
Not happy: ‘I’m appalled that Kim Kardashian hasn’t come out and added her voice to this debate, because this woman has children with Kanye,’ he said on Sunday evening
Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel recently spoke out in favor of Adidas dropping West in the wake of a slew of anti-Semitic comments generated by the controversial star.
In an op-ed for the Financial Times, the Endeavor co-CEO wrote that there should be ‘no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism’ and encouraged brands to full-stop cease partnering and working with the designer.
‘Apple and Spotify, which host West’s music, whoever organizes West’s tours, and Adidas, which collaborates with West on his fashion line, should all stop working with him,’ wrote Emanuel – essentially calling for a blacklisting.
Should Adidas and the other brands listed by Emanuel drop West, his status as a billionaire, which is largely pegged to the valuation of YEEZY, could fall away.
Backlash: Super-agent Endeavor co-CEO Ari Emmanuel encouraged all major brands to stop working with West in an op-ed on account of his recent tirade against Jewish people, particularly those in media
Not Friends: Schwimmer called out West over his anti-Semitic posts, taking to Instagram to brand the star a ‘bigot’
The German shoe company makes about $1.5 billion annually off of its partnership with West thanks to the popularity of YEEZY which started in 2015.
‘Silence is dangerous,’ continued Emanuel. ‘It allows forms of hatred and racism, including anti-Semitism, to spread and become normalized.
‘It coarsens and degrades our society and country.’
Controversy: West stands to lose billions of his bottom-line net worth if Adidas terminates its tremendously popular partnership with him
Emanuel, himself a Jew, is widely considered to be one of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry. West has repeatedly blamed the ‘Jewish media’ and ‘Jewish community’ in the music industry for toying with him.
Emanuel is also good friends with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with whom West has had a friendly relationship in recent years.
It is unclear how Musk, once he officially takes over Twitter, would manage West’s anti-Semitic and otherwise offensive statements. West was suspended from the platform following his initial tirade earlier this month.
Happier times: West was married to Kim Kardashian for six years before she filed for divorce last year; pictured 2019
‘Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience,’ wrote Emanuel.
‘This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential. Silence and inaction are not an option.’
Adidas is in an especially tenuous position given its history as a Nazi-run company that manufactured boots for Hitler’s army as well as Panzerschreck bazookas used in the war.
The Anti-Defamation League also wrote an open letter to Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted and Chair Thomas Rabe urging the brand to drop its collaboration with YEEZY.
The organization wrote, ‘In light of Kanye West’s increasingly strident antisemitic remarks over the past few weeks, we were disturbed to learn that Adidas plans to continue to release new products from his Yeezy brand without any seeming acknowledgement of the controversy surrounding his most recent remarks.
‘We are surprised and concerned that Adidas – a brand that supports inclusion and diversity – continues not only to support the Ye product line, but to release new products even as he continues to espouse hateful antisemitic ideas to his 31 million Twitter followers.
‘We urge Adidas to reconsider supporting the Ye product line and to issue a statement making clear that the Adidas company and community has no tolerance whatsoever for antisemitism.’
West’s partnership with Adidas has been under review since early October.
‘Adidas has always been about creativity, innovation and supporting athletes and artists to achieve their vision. The adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history,’ said the company.
‘We also recognize that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values.’
According to bank estimates, YEEZY is valued at $4-$5 billion. That figure, however, was based on the brand’s relationship with both Gap and Adidas.
Earlier this year, West abruptly terminated his relationship with Gap Inc., a decision that reportedly wiped out $1 billion in the valuation of YEEZY.
If the Adidas partnership goes south too, following West’s waterfall of antisemitic comments, his net worth could plummet another few billion, placing him ever nearer to mere multi-multi-millionaire status.
His contract with Adidas runs through 2026.
No more work: A spokesperson for the fashion brand told Page Six that Vogue and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour have no intention of working with the Gold Digger rapper (pictured Oct. 17, 2022)
Formerly in the inner circle: Kanye famously appeared on the cover of Vogue with ex-wife Kim Kardashian in 2014
Celebrities including Amy Schumer and David Schwimmer have also supported the ADL’s call for Adidas to drop West.
Schwimmer, 55, recently shared a video of West, saying: ‘The thing I can say about Adidas is, I can literally say anti-Semitic s**t and they can’t drop me, I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what? Now what?
Schwimmer was supported by Friends co-star Jen Aniston in his post calling for the brand to drop Ye.
While the rapper has been known to have unpredictable outbursts on social media – he was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder in 2016 – his rants have become more frequent this year.
White Lives Matter: The spokesperson cited West’s anti-Semitic rants as well as his support for the White Lives Matter cause as principle reasons why
Run Away From Hate: Amy Schumer is asking fans and followers to join the campaign to get Adidas to ‘re-evaluate their deal with Kanye West’
Recently, West hired Camille Vasquez, the attorney who defended Johnny Depp, to handle his business interests.
Vasquez, who gained national attention due to her representation of Depp in his heated defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, will be among the lawyers at the Brown Rudnick firm now working with West, TMZ reports.
The realization that West has lawyered up comes after high-fashion brand Balenciaga dropped West as a business partner.
Canceled: West promised to ‘go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE’ in a shocking tweet earlier this month
![Half-hearted: He later said to Piers Morgan: ''I will say I'm sorry for the people that I hurt with the 'death con' [comments].](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/10/23/11/63737971-11345487-Half_hearted_He_later_said_to_Piers_Morgan_I_will_say_I_m_sorry_-a-18_1666519620332.jpg)
Half-hearted: He later said to Piers Morgan: ”I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the ‘death con’ [comments].
Vogue also announced that it will no longer work with West. A spokesperson for the fashion magazine told Page Six that Vogue and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour have no intention of working with the Gold Digger rapper in the future.
The spokesperson cited West’s anti-Semitic rants as well as his support for the controversial White Lives Matter movement as principle reasons why they’ve decided to distance themselves.
Wintour, 72, has had a long relationship with Ye, first inviting him to the Met Gala back in 2009. She was pictured last month modeling sunglasses for West’s Yeezy brand.
West, who appeared on a 2014 cover of Vogue with his ex-wife, has previously claimed that he couldn’t be anti-Semitic because he believes all Black people are also Jewish.
Trouble: West shares daughters North, nine, Chicago, four, and sons Saint, six, and Psalm, three, with ex-wife Kim
‘The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda,’ Kanye wrote last week.
He later said to Piers Morgan: ”I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the ‘death con’ [comments].
‘I feel like I caused hurt and confusion. And I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through, and that I used my platform where you say hurt people hurt people. I was hurt.’
Support: West has hired Camille Vasquez who famously defended Johnny Depp in his defamation trial, to handle his business interests
The rapper and clothing designer said on Piers Morgan Uncensored that he was only referencing certain Jewish people who he believes have screwed him over.
Despite offering up the half-hearted apology, West said he ‘absolutely’ does not regret his comments – which resulted in a huge backlash, with some of his social media accounts being suspended and sponsorships canned.
West also stormed out of the interview mid-way through, according to The Sun.
The rapper previously sparked controversy when he wore a White Lives Matter shirt at his surprise Yeezy fashion show in Paris earlier this month, where he was joined by divisive political commentator Candace Owens.
West posted a photo of the long-sleeved black shirt to his Instagram with the caption: ‘Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO.’
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