Kanye West’s wax figure has been removed from public view at Madame Tussauds London, after several brands severed ties with him over his anti-Semitism scandal.
The museum chain confirmed that the wax model of the rapper, 45, who has changed his name to Ye, has been moved to an archive and out of the public display.
It comes after Adidas, Gap and Balenciaga ended their partnerships with Kanye with the rapper also losing his billionaire status after his controversial remarks including claims that ‘slavery is a choice’.
Madame Tussauds London said every person ‘earns their place’ at the popular tourist attraction as they confirmed that Kanye’s figure had been ‘retired’.
A spokeswoman for the museum said: ‘Ye’s (Kanye West’s) figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive.
‘Each profile earns their place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction.’
The Kanye figurine was originally launched in the museum in 2015 alongside a waxwork of his then-wife Kim Kardashian.
Footlocker becomes latest big brand to drop Kanye West merchandise over his anti-Semitic remarks
Footwear retailer Foot Locker has become the latest company to sever ties with Kanye West over his anti-Semitic remarks.
A spokesperson for Foot Locker said that while the company remains ‘a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections – we will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites.’
The rapper has also lost several lucrative partnerships including Adidas. The German sportswear giant ended a partnership estimated to be worth more than $1.5bn in total, including royalty payments and other fees on Tuesday.
Universal Music’s Def Jam label, which owns the copyright to West’s recordings from 2002 through 2016, and continued distributing his releases until last year, issued a statement condemning Ye’s remarks, saying: ‘There is no place for antisemitism in our society’.
But the label has not asked for the removal of Ye’s recordings. The music also can be found on Apple Music and YouTube Music.
Here is a list of companies and entities that have cut ties with Kanye West in recent weeks, including:
- Investment bank JP Morgan Chase
- Clothing brand GAP
- Talent agency CAA
- Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga
- Production studio MRC
- Attorney Camille Vasquez
- Sportswear giant Adidas
- Donda West school educational consultant Dr. Tamar Andrews
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Adidas cuts ties with Kanye West as his net worth plummets to $400 million
In recent weeks, retailers, social networking sites, celebrities, and businesses in the fashion and entertainment industries have been severing their ties with Kanye West following his anti-Semitic remarks on a podcast and Twitter, among other questionable actions.
Earlier this month while appearing on the podcast Drink Champs Podcast, he said “I can say anti-Semitic s—- and Adidas cannot drop me.”
Well, the German clothing brand has become the latest company to end its contract with the controversial rapper and businessman.
Ye’s contract with Adidas was earlier put under review after he clothed himself in a ‘White Lives Matter T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week. But the partnership has now been terminated with immediate effect. The company explained its decision, saying:
- “Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.
- “After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products, and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.
- “This is expected to have a short-term negative impact of up to €250 million on the company’s net income in 2022 given the high seasonality of the fourth quarter.”
Meanwhile, Forbes said the rapper has lost his position as a billionaire following the end of his business relationship with Adidas. According to the publication, Ye’s deal with Adidas accounted for $1.5billion of his net worth. Without the clothing brand partnership, Ye’s net worth is $400million.
- “Losing Adidas was the final nail in Ye’s net-worth coffin. Gap terminated its Yeezy partnership in September. Earlier this month, JPMorgan reportedly unbanked Ye. French fashion house Balenciaga nixed their relationship with Ye on October 21, just weeks after he walked their runway at Paris Fashion Week,” Forbes said.
