7 hours ago
3
Kanye West and his t-shirt controversy took a new turn with the reports indicating that the rapper reportedly lied to an advertising agency to run an antisemitic ad during the Super Bowl, which ultimately promoted offensive merchandise on his website after airing.
The advertisement, lasting 15 seconds and featuring West in a dental chair, was initially presented as promoting dental work and directing viewers to Yeezy.com for standard merchandise, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Following the advertisement's broadcast at approximately 9.30 pm ET across selected markets, including Fox affiliates in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta and a Nexstar-owned station in St. Louis, the website's content was altered to display offensive Nazi imagery.
USIM, the responsible advertising agency, had submitted the commercial to television stations the previous Thursday, providing assurance of content review New York Post reported.
Fox and Nexstar executives' preliminary website checks revealed only standard athletic apparel available for purchase.
West, now known as Ye, posted inflammatory antisemitic content on X prior to the Super Bowl. His account was subsequently banned following these posts.
Along with that Shopify terminated the Yeezy online store on Tuesday, citing policy violations and inauthentic commerce practices.
Amidst all the controversy, his talent agency 33 & West ditched Kanye and agent Daniel McCartney took to Instagram Stories, saying, "Effective immediately, I am no longer representing YE (F/K/A Kanye West) due to his recent harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for,' McCartney said. 'Peace and love to all'."
USIM's president Doug Livingston confirmed their prior vetting revealed no concerning content. The agency, hired recently by Yeezy LLC executives, ended their partnership on Friday following West's social media posts.
Regional Super Bowl advertisements operate under different approval protocols than national commercials, which require Fox and NFL authorisation.
The NFL issued a statement Tuesday denouncing antisemitism and clarifying their non-involvement in the advertisement's approval or broadcast.
Regional advertisement slots offer a more economical alternative to national Super Bowl commercials, which can cost up to $8 million for 30 seconds. In Los Angeles, local slots were priced at approximately $1 million.
The incident prompted immediate criticism from organisations including the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee, with public figures demanding West's removal from X.
This episode adds to West's history of antisemitic statements, which has resulted in terminated partnerships with brands including Adidas and Gap.
His previous X suspension in 2022 for posting offensive imagery was followed by reinstatement in mid-2023, though with restrictions on monetisation and advertisement placement.
