Kanye West Sparks Outrage by Selling $20 Swastika T-Shirts
Kanye West, now known as Ye, is once again at the center of controversy—this time for selling T-shirts featuring swastikas on his Yeezy website. The shocking move comes after a week filled with antisemitic, homophobic, and misogynistic posts on his X (formerly Twitter) account, drawing widespread criticism.
Super Bowl Ad Promotes Website
West’s website gained fresh attention on Sunday when he aired a local TV ad during the Super Bowl. The 30-second spot, recorded on an iPhone, showed him sitting at a dentist’s office while directing viewers to his Yeezy site. However, the ad was not nationally broadcast—it only aired in select markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Platform Reactions & Criticism
The online platform Shopify, which is handling orders for the $20 T-shirts, has yet to respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Fox, the network airing the Super Bowl, has not commented on the ad either.
West’s recent hateful rhetoric on X has led to some of his posts being restricted. These included homophobic remarks and calls for violence against Jewish people. Some posts were marked with a warning:
“This post may violate X’s rules against hateful conduct.”
Celebrities, Jewish organizations, and anti-hate groups have urged Elon Musk’s platform to take stronger action.
Anti-Defamation League Condemns West
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded with strong criticism, saying:
“The swastika is the symbol adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the Nazis. It galvanized his followers in the 20th century and continues to threaten and instill fear in those targeted by antisemitism and white supremacy. There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior.”
West Logs Out of X
On Sunday evening, West appeared to deactivate his own account, posting:
“I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.”
Elon Musk later addressed concerns over West’s explicit content, responding to a user who complained about him posting “literal porn”:
“Given what he has posted, his account is now classified as NSFW. You should not be seeing that anymore.”
West was previously suspended from Twitter in 2022 for what Musk described as “incitement to violence,” before being reinstated in July 2023.
West Claims Autism Diagnosis
In a recent podcast interview, West stated that he had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and now believes he is autistic. He claimed the diagnosis has helped him better understand himself.
A History of Controversy
West’s past antisemitic remarks have already cost him major business deals, including partnerships with Adidas and Gap. In 2022, sources told CNN that West had long been fascinated by Hitler and even once wanted to name an album after the Nazi leader.
His latest actions have once again sparked outrage, raising concerns about the continued spread of hate speech on influential platforms.
