Kanye West dropped by talent agency over antisemitic slurs

Kanye West is no longer represented by the Los Angeles-based talent agency 33 & West, a representative for the company has confirmed.

The dismissal comes after the rapper posted a stream of antisemitic abuse on social media, put T-shirts with a swastika on sale in his online shop, and was alleged to have described himself as Hitler to a Jewish employee.

On Monday (10 February), Daniel McCartney of 33 & West wrote in a statement that his working relationship with West was over, “effective immediately … due to his harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for”.

Last week West, also known as Ye, wrote a barrage of antisemitic posts on X including, “I’m a Nazi … I love Hitler”. The swastika T-shirt was placed for sale on the website of his fashion brand Yeezy, with the product line “HH-01”, assumed to be code for “Heil Hitler”.

Shopify, the company that provided the online platform for Yeezy, has now taken the store offline, stating: “All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms.”

Daniel McCartney of 33 & West wrote in a statement that his working relationship with West was over

On Tuesday, a former staff member for West’s company – anonymised as Jane Doe – filed a lawsuit against him in Los Angeles superior court, alleging wrongful termination, and gender and religious discrimination.

The woman, who is Jewish, alleges a series of incidents between January and June 2024, including that he fired her after sending her a text message reading “Hail [sic] Hitler”.

Another alleged text message read: “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.” The woman’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, described “a relentless and deliberate campaign of antisemitism and misogyny” from West. West has not commented on the lawsuit, nor the actions of Shopify and 33 & West.

These are not the first instances of antisemitic behaviour from the rapper. In 2022, West posted antisemitic slurs on social media and wore a shirt with a slogan associated with white supremacists.

The music and fashion industries subsequently cut ties with him, with UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel encouraging the boycott of West.

CAA, which had represented West for touring since 2016, dropped the rapper from its roster that week.

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