Kanye West is no longer a billionaire after dismantling his fashion empire in weeks. The Chicago artist lost his deal with Adidas this week after the brand put the partnership under review, as companies like Balenciaga and Gap further distanced themselves from Ye.
The result was a nearly $2 billion loss to his net worth. It was inevitable following weeks of spewing anti-Semitic comments throughout numerous interviews.
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel denounced Ye for his comments, urging brands and companies to cut ties with him. This morning, Ye reacted to the news of his net worth dropping below the $1B mark while also sending love to Emmanuel in spite of his comments.
"Ari Emanuel, I love 2 billion dollars in one day and I'm still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you," he wrote. "The money is not who I am. The people is who I am."
Emanuel told Kanye's business partners and collaborators to "speak out and take action" after his anti-Semitic comments.
"West is not just any person — he is a pop culture icon with millions of fans around the world. And among them are young people whose views are still being formed," wrote Emanuel in an op-ed for the Financial Times. "There should be no tolerance anywhere for West's antisemitism. This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential. Silence and inaction are not an option."
Kanye's lost more than business deals in the past 24 hours. Donda Academy's principal announced the school will be shutting its doors. Students will no longer be able to attend Donda Academy for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year. However, Angell added that they will be returning in September 2023. Angell didn't mention the anti-Semitic controversy as a contributing factor, though hours earlier, the school's basketball team was dropped from the Scholastic Play By Play tournament due to Ye's remarks.