Kanye West Dropped by Agency Following Antisemitic Controversy and Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11, 2025 – Kanye West‘s talent agency has severed ties with him in light of recent antisemitic social media posts and a lawsuit against him by a former employee. The Los Angeles-based agency 33&West stated it could no longer work with West due to his ‘harmful and hateful remarks.’

This decision comes after West’s Yeezy brand faced backlash for selling T-shirts adorned with swastikas on its website, leading e-commerce platform Shopify to take down the site. Shopify affirmed, ‘All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms.’

On the Yeezy website, visitors now encounter an error message stating, ‘Something went wrong. This store is unavailable,’ indicating the abrupt end of West’s controversial merchandise.

Adding to the turmoil, an unnamed Jewish woman, who previously worked for Yeezy, filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court, alleging discrimination and harassment based on her religion and sex. The plaintiff reported being subjected to antisemitic remarks during her employment in 2024, including a text reading, ‘Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.’ She alleged that West sent her pornographic material and harassed her with inappropriate text messages.

Following West’s increased allegations and social media posts over the weekend, including disparaging messages about Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, the rapper’s account on X was suspended. Before deactivation, West posted a series of erratic messages and proclaimed, ‘I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent.’

Billionaire and X owner Elon Musk confirmed that West’s account had been classified as ‘not safe for work’ following the uproar provoked by a tweet calling for West to be banned.

West’s recent ventures included promoting a T-shirt featuring a black swastika, available for $20, which he advertised from a dentist’s chair in a video filmed on his iPhone. He defended his actions earlier in February, claiming, ‘I would never sell a swastika tee because people could be physically harmed wearing it.’

Citing a new autism diagnosis, West stated in interviews that a previous bipolar diagnosis had led to misunderstanding his behavior. He stopped taking medication that he claimed stifled his creativity and asserted his current mental health was misunderstood.

Despite a public backlash, West continues to assert his opinions on social media, including inflammatory statements about Jewish people, likening his experiences to systemic racism. In one of the more alarming posts, he expressed, ‘I LOVE HITLER NOW WHAT B*****ES,’ drawing condemnation from various organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, which stated, ‘the swastika is the symbol adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the Nazis.’

In response to these controversies, CyberWell, a nonprofit focused on fighting online hate, criticized social media platforms for their lack of enforcement regarding hate speech, expressing concern about the environment of rising antisemitism.

West, who has previously faced criticism for his comments on race and mental health, became a polarizing figure following the sale of offensive merchandise and allegations of racism. His reputation has drastically declined, especially after losing lucrative contracts with major brands including Adidas and other business relationships.

As West continues to navigate these challenges in the public eye, he faces legal repercussions and a disheveled career trajectory that has left fans and critics questioning his influence and responsibility as a public figure.