Reminding everyone of Kanye West’s not-so-distant antisemitic past, Friends star David Schwimmer slammed the famous rapper, calling him one of the most “hate-mongering bigots in the world.”
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In his latest Instagram post, Schwimmer thanked companies that have pulled their sponsors from the U.K.’s Wireless Festival after West was announced as a headliner. He then encouraged the remaining sponsors to do the same because of Ye’s past antisemitic remarks.
“It’s great to see companies with moral clarity,” Schwimmer wrote, pointing out that Pepsi, PayPal, and Diageo severed their ties with the Wireless Festival. “Unlike Wireless and Festival Republic, they decided not to platform an artist who became one of the most recognizable hate-mongering bigots in the world.”
The actor pointed out that West seemingly grifted from his antisemitic views. This included releasing a song “Heil Hitler” and selling T-shirts with a swastika on them.
Schwimmer also cited that West went as far as calling him a nazi last year.
He acknowledged West’s apology. “About two months ago (Ye) professed to apologize for all that in a paid ad he took out in the Wall Street Journal,” the Friends star shared. “Perhaps part of a PR scheme to assuage folks right before his long-planned return to the stage. Remember: Ye’s apologized before, only to retract that apology and double down on his virulent hatred of Jewish people.”
The Actor Acknowledges West’s Previous Apology About His Antisemitic Views
Schwimmer said that West had claimed his anti-semitic views were caused by a health condition that made him specifically target the Jewish people.
“So he’s launching a comeback, having recently played at SoFi Stadium in California (Kroenke family were you aware?),” the actor continued. “Supported by Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott, CeeLo Green and Don Toliver — artists who seem to shrug off his history of rabid antisemitism. Or maybe endorse it? Hard to say, since none of them ever publicly denounced his past remarks.”
The Friends star said he remains skeptical of West’s apology.
“An apology letter is just that: Words on paper,” he wrote. “An advertisement, generating publicity before a concert tour. It does not erase years of abuse. … It’s fine for his famous pals to pat him on the back and say, ‘It’s all good.’ But the community he has harmed most has no reason to trust his apology is authentic.”
Although he believes in forgiveness, Schwimmer said it takes more than an apology for West to redeem himself.
“Until Ye demonstrates a commitment to building back trust — not only with the Jewish community, but with ALL the fans he left heartbroken and disappointed by his hateful rhetoric the last several years,” Schwimmer continued. “He should not be granted a platform to perform. To do so is to be tacitly complicit in what these companies know to be wrong, unethical and immoral.”
Schwimmer finished his statement by calling out the companies still sponsoring the Wireless Festival. “I hope Budweiser, Beat Box Beverages, Drip water, and Big Green Coach come to the same conclusion.”