Kanye West is speaking out after losing several business deals following his anti-Semitic remarks.
“Ari Emanuel, I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I’m still alive,” West, 45, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, October 27, referring to the Endeavor CEO, who publicly called on brands to suspend their partnerships with the Yeezy designer in a Financial Times essay. “This is love speech, I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am, the people is who I am [sic].”
The Chicago native’s claims about his finances come hours after he attempted to enter the Skechers headquarters, who noted in a Wednesday, October 26, statement that West “arrived unannounced and without invitation” at their Los Angeles corporate office.
“Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation,” the footwear brand wrote in its statement. “Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West. We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech. The Company would like to again stress that West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices.”
Earlier this month, the “Gold Digger” rapper lost brand deals with Balenciaga, Adidas and Gap over his recent actions. Vogue magazine and CAA (Creative Artists Agency) also cut their ties with West after he claimed via Twitter that he wanted to go “death con 3” on individuals of Jewish faith.
“I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the ‘death con’ [comments],” West said during an October 19 appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I feel like I caused hurt and confusion. And I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through, and that I used my platform where you say hurt people hurt people. I was hurt.”
While the “Stronger” artist has continued to stand behind his rhetoric, many brands and celebrities have publicly condemned his actions.
“Hate speech is never OK or excusable,” Kim Kardashian, who split from the Grammy winner in February 2021, tweeted on Monday, October 24. “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”
West’s business changes have also impacted his overall net worth. Forbes estimated that losing his Adidas collaboration cost him nearly $1.5 billion. The financial outlet also reported that his new $400 million net worth comes from his real estate holdings, music catalog and a 5 percent stake in Kardashian’s Skims company.
