Kanye West’s string of antisemitic comments are finally being met with major consequences. Media company MRC announced today (Oct. 23) that it is shelving a completed documentary on West, while his booking agency CAA has dropped him as a client.
“This morning, after discussion with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West,” MRC studio executives Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu, and Scott Tenley said in a memo to staff. “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform. Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years — the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain.”
They added, “The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising. What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defense.”
West’s social media accounts have already been restricted in the wake of his weeks-long series of antisemitic ramblings, and on Friday, he was dropped by Balenciega days after walking the runway for the fashion house’s Paris runway show.
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CAA’s decision to cut ties with West follows UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer’s company-wide memo last night calling for a boycott of the artist. In it, he referenced an antisemitic pro-West demonstration yesterday atop Los Angeles’ 405 freeway.
“Regrettably, antisemitism, racism and many forms of hate and intolerance are part of the fabric of society. Generally, they live as a plague eroding the health of communities and are combatted by understanding, tolerance and the general goodness of most people,” he wrote. “But throughout history some have used their public platform to spew the plague out loud and spread the contagion to dangerous effect. Kanye is the latest to do so, and we’re seeing how his words embolden others to amplify their vile beliefs. I’ve also seen copies of horribly antisemitic flyers left this weekend on the doorsteps of homes in L.A. neighborhoods, showing that the 405 banners are not the end of it.”
Even West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian has spoken out against his comments, writing in a Tweet today that “hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”
