Kanye West criticised over Super Bowl ad for website selling swastika T-shirt
The hip-hop star last week posted more antisemitic posts on X and has now
deactivated his account.
Monday 10 February 2025 21:27, UK
Kanye West has been criticised over a TV advert directing people to a website
selling a swastika T-shirt during the Super Bowl.
It shows him lying down, telling viewers: “I spent all the money for the
commercial on these new teeth, so once again I had to shoot it on the iPhone…
go to Yeezy.com.”
The site now features nothing but a single T-shirt with a swastika on the front
– alongside the code “HH-01” – believed to be a reference to “Heil Hitler”.
The advert was shown in the Los Angeles area during the big game, but not
nationwide.
It comes after West deactivated his X account
[https://news.sky.com/story/kanye-west-leaves-x-after-antisemitic-rampage-13306537]
after more antisemitic posts last week.
The rapper’s final entry stated: “I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate [X
owner] Elon [Musk] for allowing me to vent.
“It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board. It was like an
Ayahuasca trip.”
“Love all of you who gave me your energy and attention. To we connect again
[sic]. Good afternoon and goodnight.”
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West made multiple posts on Friday, including statements such as “I love Hitler”
and “I’m a Nazi” – with the Campaign Against Antisemitism calling on Mr Musk to
ban him.
The group said the T-shirt listing was another damning example of West’s
dangerous prejudice.
“The swastika is the symbol adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the
Nazis,” it posted.
“It galvanized his followers in the 20th century and continues to threaten and
instil fear in those targeted by antisemitism and white supremacy.”
West [https://news.sky.com/topic/kanye-west-5891] – also known as Ye – has been
suspended from Twitter at least twice before.
In October 2022, his account was restricted over antisemitic comments but he
returned the following month. The outcry prompted Adidas to end their lucrative
trainer deal.
Two months later, he was locked out again after posts including one appearing to
show a swastika inside a Star of David.
Elon Musk [https://news.sky.com/topic/elon-musk-6730], who rebranded Twitter as
X in 2023, said at the time the suspension was “for incitement to violence” but
the account was back up and running the following summer.
Read more:
Friends star urges Musk to remove West
[https://news.sky.com/story/friends-star-david-schwimmer-urges-elon-musk-to-remove-kanye-west-from-x-after-hate-filled-ignorant-comments-13305867]
West and Adidas reach settlement after years of lawsuits
[https://news.sky.com/story/kanye-west-and-adidas-reach-settlement-after-years-of-lawsuits-13243938]
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West’s wife, Bianca Censori, also made headlines last week when she wore a fully
transparent dress at the Grammy Awards.
The couple posed for several minutes on the red carpet before reportedly being
escorted away.
