Your tip
RadarOnlineRadarOnline
or
Sign in with lockrMail
BREAKING NEWS

Kanye West Told Jewish Adidas Manager to 'Kiss a Picture of Hitler Every Day': Report

kanye west adidas
Source: MEGA

Kanye West's decade-long partnership with Adidas was allegedly ridden with anti-Semitic behavior.

Oct. 27 2023, Published 5:15 p.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to FlipboardShare to Email

Kanye West allegedly taunted Adidas employees with anti-Semitic views for years before the fashion brand cut ties with the Yeezy designer, RadarOnline.com has learned.

A year after West, 46, lost his billionaire status after losing several deals in response to a series of public anti-Semitic comments, new disturbing allegations against the rapper have surfaced dating back to his very first meeting with the brand in 2013.

Article continues below advertisement
kanye west adidas
Source: MEGA

West's alleged anti-Semitic behavior while working with Adidas began in 2013.

Article continues below advertisement

According to a New York Times report, former employees detailed years of anti-Semitic behavior from West, including public praise of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Former employees recalled West kicking off his decade-long partnership with Adidas by drawing a swastika out of frustration over the first batch of ideas for Yeezy shoe designs.

"The Adidas employees, thrilled to get started, had arrayed sneakers and fabric swatches on a long table near a mood board pinned with images," the report said. "But nothing they showed that day at the company’s German headquarters captured the vision Mr. West had shared."

Article continues below advertisement
kanye west anti semitic adidas history
Source: MEGA

West allegedly drew a swastika on a Yeezy shoe design at his first meeting with Adidas.

Article continues below advertisement

"To convey how offensive he considered the designs, he grabbed a sketch of a shoe and took a marker to the toe," claimed two participants from the meeting. "Then he drew a swastika."

The alleged act was said to horrify those present due to the fact that the two groups "were meeting just miles from Nuremberg, where leaders of the Third Reich were tried for crimes against humanity."

Visit the all-new RADAR SPORTS for all the on and off-field activities of the biggest names in the games.

Article continues below advertisement
kanye west adidas
Source: MEGA

West allegedly told a Jewish employee to 'kiss a picture of Hitler every day.'

MORE ON:
Kanye West

DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.

Article continues below advertisement

Despite West allegedly showing his anti-Semitic views right out of the gate, Adidas continued the relationship while enjoying massive profits from Yeezy designs.

Years after the dramatic first meeting, an employee claimed that West "advised a Jewish Adidas manager to kiss a picture of Hitler every day."

Other employees recalled West allegedly praising Hitler as a "master marketer" who he "admired" for his "command of propaganda," which the Nazi leader infamously used to perpetuate the genocide of millions of European Jews during the Holocaust.

Article continues below advertisement
kanye west anti semitic adidas history
Source: MEGA

Adidas cut ties with West in 2022 after a series of public anti-Semitic statements.

Article continues below advertisement

In 2018, four years before Adidas finally decided to end the Yeezy partnership, West allegedly admitted to paying a 7-figure-settlement to a former Yeezy chief executive who "accused him of repeatedly praising the architect of the Holocaust."

Adidas apparently chose to look the other way, though a contract renewal in 2016 suggested that the brand was well aware of West's vile behavior — and the record profits his designs brought the company.

Article continues below advertisement

During 2016 contract renegotiations, Adidas agreed to triple West's guaranteed annual salary while also adding a moral clause to the terms.

West continued to work with Adidas for the next 6 years until his 2022 anti-Semitic firestorm forced the sportswear brand to act.

More From Radar Online

    Opt-out of personalized ads

    © Copyright 2024 RADAR ONLINE™️. A DIVISION OF MYSTIFY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK INC. RADAR ONLINE is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.