The backlash has led Shopify to temporarily suspend his online store and his talent agency to sever ties with him.
Super Bowl Ad sparks outrage
Kanye West, or Ye as he likes to be known, placed a regional ad during Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025, directing viewers to his Yeezy website. The commercial, in which West can be heard talking about dental surgery, ended with an appeal for viewers to go to Yeezy.com. Those accessing the site were greeted with a picture of a white T-shirt with a swastika on it, titled “HH-01.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, the initials “HH-01” stood for “Heil Hitler.” Stated the ADL, “The swastika is the symbol which Hitler grasped as the rallying point for the Nazis. It galvanized his followers in the 20th century and continues to terrorize and instill fear in the people who are the focus of antisemitism and white supremacy. There can be no justification for such activity.”.
Shopify’s response
Due to the ad and public backlash, Shopify, the online retail website that hosts the Yeezy store, acted fast. The reason, according to a Shopify spokesperson, is that “This merchant did not demonstrate actual commerce behaviors and violated our terms, so we took them down from Shopify.” The outcome of this is the Yeezy website went dark on February 11, 2025.
Talent agency drops West
As a result of West’s behavior, his talent agency, 33&West, terminated him. Agent Daniel McCartney took to Instagram to make a statement, “Effective immediately, I am no longer representing Ye (f/k/a Kanye West) due to his recent harmful and hateful comments that neither myself nor 33&West can stand for.”
Legal actions and allegations
To add insult to injury, West was also sued for harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination by a former Yeezy employee. In the lawsuit, it is claimed that West had made numerous offending remarks, including mentioning Hitler and calling himself a “Nazi” while using obscenities about the employee’s Jewish background. The plaintiff seeks unspecified damages in excess of $35,000 and a jury trial.
Public and industry reactions
West’s recent behavior has been condemned from all quarters by different groups. The ADL, among many groups, condemned his behavior, pointing out the dangerous effect of propagating hate symbols. Previous executives at Shopify also condemned him, pointing out the responsibility of the company to prevent off-beam merchandise from being sold on their platform.
West’s response and account deactivation
Following the outrage, West deactivated his X (formerly Twitter) account, tweeting, “I’m signing off Twitter. I thank Elon for giving me the freedom to get some things off my chest. It has been a great catharsis using the world as a sounding board.”
