Talent agency CAA drops Ye after antisemitic posts
Hollywood talent powerhouse Creative Artists Agency has cut ties with Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, following a series of antisemitic remarks by the artist.
The agency has officially dropped the rapper as a client, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS MoneyWatch.
On Monday, film and television studio MRC Entertainment also said it would scrap a completed documentary about the rapper.
"Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3000 years — the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain," MRC said in a statement on its website.
Companies and fashion brands have faced mounting pressure to stop doing business with West, despite his legions of fans and the lucrative nature of the commercial partnerships. The calls for companies to distance themselves from Ye come on the heels of his social media posts about Jews, including a tweet saying he wanted to go "death con 3" on Jewish people. Twitter and Instagram suspended Ye from the platform following the posts.
After the incident, Ye announced he would buy right-leaning social network Parler.
"In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," he said in a statement.
Adidas taking heat
French fashion house Balenciaga recently ended its partnership with Ye, while Adidas is taking heat for not severing its ties with the rapper. Ari Emmanuel, CEO of talent firm Endeavor, last week penned an op-ed in the Financial Times urging all enterprises to stop working with Ye over his antisemitism.
JPMorgan Chase has also ended its business relationship with Ye, but did not say the breakup was a result of Ye's recent hateful outbursts.
Gap also no longer has a relationship with Ye, after he terminated the lucrative partnership early.
"Ye had diligently tried to work through these issues with Gap both directly and through counsel (but) he has gotten nowhere," his lawyer, Nicholas Gravante Jr. told CBS MoneyWatch last month. "Gap left him no choice but to terminate their agreement."
Here is a list of businesses no longer working with Ye:
- Balenciaga
- CAA
- Gap
- JPMorgan Chase
- MRC Entertainment