Kanye West reportedly dropped by lawyer, talent agency following antisemitic remarks
Companies and organisations are reportedly continuing to cut ties with Kanye West in light of his string of antisemitic remarks in recent weeks, including his lawyer and booking agency.
As Deadline reports, talent agency Creative Arts Agency (CAA) has cut ties with the rapper. West signed with CAA for touring representation in 2016, but he has not embarked on a tour since that time.
Meanwhile, Hollywood production company and financiers MRC has revealed it will shelve a “recently completed” documentary about West. In a statement, the company’s co-leaders Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley said they “cannot support any content that amplifies his platform” due to his antisemitic comments.
Hollywood financier/producer MRC says it won't proceed with a Kanye West documentary. pic.twitter.com/cR0FiLDOmT
— Lucas Shaw (@Lucas_Shaw) October 24, 2022
Additionally, a representative for Vogue magazine has confirmed to Page Six that neither the magazine nor its editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, plan to work with West going ahead. West, who has also done extensive work as a fashion designer, has featured on several occasions in the magazine – including appearing on its front cover.
Wintour has also been close with West over the years. In September, she modelled a new Yeezy sunglasses range in photos sent to press. According to Page Six, Wintour sent Baz Luhrmann to film a meeting earlier this month between West and Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who West mocked online after she criticised him for wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt.
TMZ has also reported that lawyer Camille Vasquez, known for representing Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against Amber Heard, has dropped West as a client. West had only recently begun working with Vasquez, but after making further antisemitic comments over the weekend, she is said to have told her firm Brown Rudnick she would no longer work with West.
According to TMZ, the firm told West they would still be open to working with him on the condition he publicly retracted his antisemitic comments, but he reportedly refused to do so and fired Brown Rudnick.
The new round of organisations cutting ties with the rapper comes after financial institution JPMorgan Chase confirmed that they had “decided to end its banking relationship with Yeezy, LLC and its affiliated entities” earlier this month.
Balenciaga, the brand West walked for during this year’s Paris Fashion Week, said last week they would also no longer be working with Ye. “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” a representative for the brand’s parent company, Kering, confirmed.
West has made a slew of antisemitic comments over the past weeks. His posts directed at the Jewish community led to West being suspended from Instagram and later Twitter, where he wrote that he “[would be] going death con 3 [sic] On JEWISH PEOPLE”.
West’s comments were criticised by the likes of David Schwimmer, John Legend, Jack Antonoff and KISS‘ Paul Stanley. An episode of LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The Shop show that featured an interview with West was recently scrapped due to his recent controversies.
During a recent interview on the Drink Champs podcast – which has since been removed – Ye made further antisemitic comments, saying “the Jewish media blocked [him] out”. During a section of West’s recent interview with Fox News that was not aired but leaked online the rapper also made more antisemitic comments.
At one point in West’s unaired Fox News interview footage, he accused Margaret Sanger of founding Planned Parenthood with the Ku Klux Klan to “control the Jew population”. Fox News has publicly rescinded their support for the rapper.
During a recent interview with TalkTV commentator Piers Morgan, West was asked if he was “sorry” for recent comments he’d made towards the Jewish community, to which he replied, “No”. West later said he was “sorry for the people that I hurt” with his “death con” tweet. “I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through,” he said.