In a new interview, Adidas' top executive Bjorn Gulden defends the hip-hop star and Yeezy designer over his controversial remarks that got the 'Gold Digger' rapper canceled.
- Sep 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - Not everyone is apparently offended by Kanye West's alleged anti-Semitic comments. In a new interview, Adidas' top executive Bjorn Gulden defended the hip-hop star over his controversial remarks that got the rapper canceled.
When discussing the German-based apparent giant's decision to cut ties with Ye in the wake of his anti-Semitic comments last year, Gulden believed that the musician didn't mean all those words. "Very unfortunate, because I don't think he meant what he said, and I don't think he's a bad person. It just came across that way," he said in "In Good Company" podcast last week.
Gulden, a former top executive at rival sportswear brand Puma, went on to say, "That meant we lost that business, one of the most successful collabs in the history…very sad." It was reported that $1.5 billion of Ye's net worth was shaved off following the fallout.
Back in 2022, Adidas ended its partnership with the rapper, designer and entrepreneur following backlash over his anti-Semitic comments. Ye also faced criticism when he launched "White Lives Matter" T-shirts during his Yeezy show during Paris Fashion Week.
After several brands including Balenciaga cut ties with him, Ye was also banned from social media platforms such as Twitter, now X, and Instagram due to his posts about Sean "P. Diddy" Combs being controlled by Jews. He also declared that he would go "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE" and posted an image of a swastika inside a Star of David.
Not stopping there, Ye claimed in a podcast interview that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose in addition to lashing out at "Jewish media" and "Jewish Zionists" for forcing the cancellation of his shows. In December of that year, the former husband of Kim Kardashian noted on podcaster Alex Jones' show that he saw "good things about Hitler."
