Kanye West Products Dropped by TJ Maxx After His Antisemitic Comments
Written by djfrosty on October 26, 2022
Another company is saying adios to Kanye West and his products. As of Wednesday (Oct. 26), TJ Maxx has joined brands such as Adidas and Balenciaga in severing ties with the rapper following a flurry of antisemitic comments he made in social media posts and in subsequent interviews this month.
“At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind,” read a statement shared by the retailer with CNN. “We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”
Billboard has reached out to West for comment.
TJ Maxx is merely the latest domino to fall in the line of businesses dropping the artist, who now goes by Ye. One day prior, Adidas announced it would be ending a nearly decade-long partnership with the “Donda” artist, which spawned the creation of his massively successful Yeezy shoe line. Gap and Foot Locker also confirmed Tuesday (Oct. 25) that they’d be removing Ye’s products from their shelves.
Before that, Ye was discharged from his professional relationship with Balenciaga on Friday (Oct. 21), and dropped as a client from Creative Artists Agency on Monday (Oct. 24).
The fallout first began Oct. 3, when Ye featured shirts printed with the phrase “White Lives Matter” in his Paris Fashion Week show. Just days later, he was suspended from Twitter and Instagram for posting anti-Jewish hate speech, which he continued to spew in later appearances on Cuomo, Drink Champs and other interviews.
It’s not just companies that are condemning Ye’s recent antics. Stars such as Ariana Grande, John Legend, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Antonoff, Sarah Silverman and more have all publicly spoken out against the Yeezy founder’s hate speech in the past few weeks. As recently as Monday night (Oct. 24), Harry Styles replaced his usual Adidas footwear with Vans for one of his concerts, something fans believed to be a small act of protest against the brand before it severed ties with Ye. The loss of the Adidas partnership was a move that cost the rapper his status as a billionaire, according to Forbes.