Celebrity status shouldn’t make hate OK
‘Hollywood is fickle; your career can end pretty fast” is a quote attributed to actor Matthew Lawrence, who had roles in “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Boy Meets World.”
Artist Kanye West is learning this lesson first-hand. However, it’s not a random act that has dealt him a “bad hand,” but rather, his antisemitic remarks. As a result of his latest comments, Creative Artists Agency has cut ties with him — and so has Adidas.
West has always had “issues” in the form of conflicts with fellow artists such as Kid Cudi and Drake, but since his social and political views have stormed his persona, it’s all been downhill.
He’s aligned with political leaders, to include Donald Trump, as well as pundits and campaigns that have been dangerous and controversial. Despite being a “superstar,” he had to know his behavior would eventually have severe consequences.
There could be more fallout, though. On Monday, MRC Entertainment also said it would scrap a complete documentary about the rapper and former partner to Kim Kardashian.
According to a news report, fashion brands and companies have faced mounting pressure to stop doing business with West, despite the lucrative nature of his commercial partnerships and alleged legions of fans.
The action comes on the heels of posts made by West on social media, about Jewish people, including a tweet saying he wanted to go “death con 3” on them. As a result of his tirade, he was suspended from Instagram and Twitter. In response, he said he would buy right-leaning social network Parler.
If West thought that he could say anything and get away with it, he was wrong. In a podcast for “Drink Champs,” which aired earlier this month, he made many outrageous comments that caused financial repercussions for him and his brand partners.
“I can say antisemitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” he said on the podcast. He also suggested that George Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose, rather than police brutality.
We wonder what his thoughts were after Adidas dropped him. Apparently he thought they couldn’t do anything about his comments. He was obviously proven wrong. Good for Adidas and everyone else who has cut ties with West.
He’s not going to come back from this. It’s just the latest in a series of career-ending actions and comments. He’s not invincible.
It’s not OK to spew hate speech on my social media platform — or anywhere else, for that matter. It doesn’t matter if you’re a “regular” person or a celebrity; social media should have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior.