CAA cuts ties with Kanye West after anti-Semitic tirade

The fallout against the rapper formerly known as Kanye West has continued to grow as one of Hollywood’s biggest agencies has stopped representing him.

CAA ended their relationship with Ye this month following his recent anti-Semitic outbursts in various interviews, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly.

CAA is the last company to drop or suspend relationship with the rapper on his Remarks. Other high-profile entertainment industry figures, including Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, have called on all companies that work with the musician to cut ties with him after he tweeted that he wanted do “death con 3” on the Jewish people.

“Those who continue to do business with West give an audience to his misguided hatred,” Emanuel wrote in a recent opinion piece in the Financial Times. “There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism.”

Emanuel called on Apple and Spotify to stop streaming Ye’s music and Parler not to sell to him. The right-wing social media platform recently announced that she had reached an agreement to sell the business to West.

Emanuel noted in his opinion piece that WME clients LeBron James and Maverick Carter canceled an episode of “The Shop: Uninterrupted” because Ye “kept repeating dangerous stereotypes during filming”.

Emanuel’s position received support from his colleagues. On Sunday, United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer sent a note to staff to “please support the boycott of Kanye West.”

“As a company, we champion a great diversity of voices and ideas,” Zimmer wrote. “But we cannot support hate speech, bigotry or anti-Semitism.”

Other Hollywood companies were also ending their commercial relations with the musician.

On Monday, film and television producer MRC said it was not pursuing distribution of its Ye documentary.

“We cannot support any content that amplifies its platform,” MRC leaders said in a statement. “The silence from leaders and corporations regarding Kanye or anti-Semitism in general is appalling but not surprising. What is new and sad is the fear Jews have of speaking out in their own defense. .

Quoting a Los Angeles Times article on a local hate group protest in support of Ye’s anti-Semitic remarks, the White House intervened.

“.@POTUS ran to heal the soul of the nation after years of hatred and division,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary. wrote in a tweet. “As part of this healing, we must expose anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head. These actions in Los Angeles are disgusting and must be condemned.

Ye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian called Monday morning for an end to anti-Semitic rhetoric without directly calling her ex-husband.

“Hate speech is never acceptable or excusable”, the reality TV star said in a tweet. “I stand with the Jewish community and call for an immediate end to the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric against them.

Ye has remained in demand in recent years despite his flirtation with far-right politics and his verbal attacks on artists like Pete Davidson. His recent appearances with Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, and provocations such as wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt, have proven too controversial for some companies.

Ye’s outbursts in the past have often been excused, in part, because of his struggle with what he said was a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

But his airing of anti-Semitic views in a series of interviews made it almost impossible for companies to defend themselves from working with him, leading some brands like Adidas to review their relationship with the rapper. You were suspended from Instagram and Twitter earlier this month.

Balenciagaa close fashion collaborator with Ye, ended his business relationship with the artist, who had previously cut ties with JP Morgan and the Gap.

His recording contract with longtime label Def Jam is also said to have ended.

Ye has been with CAA since 2016, after leaving the agency for a year in 2015 for UTA.

A representative for Ye could not immediately be reached for comment.