Kanye West is Selling $20 T-Shirts with Swastikas
Kanye West has once again ignited backlash after launching $20 T-shirts featuring swastikas on his website, marking another week of controversy for the rapper.
West, who now goes by Ye, promoted his Yeezy store with a Super Bowl ad, which aired in select markets on Sunday. The low-budget commercial, filmed on an iPhone, showed him at a dentist’s office, directing viewers to visit his website. While Fox aired the Super Bowl nationally, individual affiliates control some regional ads, allowing the spot to run in certain areas.
Despite the uproar, Shopify, the e-commerce platform handling the shirt sales, has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the product’s availability.
X Posts and Hate Speech Allegations
The controversy comes as West has spent the past few days sharing antisemitic, homophobic, and misogynistic messages with his 32 million followers on X (formerly Twitter). Some of his posts were flagged with visibility limitations, preventing users from sharing, liking, or commenting. A notice on the flagged posts warned that they may violate X’s rules against hateful conduct.
By Sunday evening, West appeared to deactivate his own X account, stating, “I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.”
West was previously banned from X in 2022 for what Elon Musk described as “incitement to violence”, though his account was reinstated in July 2023.
West’s History of Controversy
The rapper recently claimed in a podcast interview that he was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and instead has autism, which he said has helped him understand himself better.
West’s previous controversial remarks and antisemitic statements have led to the loss of major business partnerships, including with Adidas and Gap. In 2022, multiple sources told CNN that West had expressed admiration for Hitler and once wanted to name an album after the Nazi leader.
The latest incident has reignited concerns over West’s rhetoric and influence, with activists and organizations calling for action against his ongoing promotion of hate speech.
