Adidas CEO Gulden says Kanye West didn’t mean antisemitic remarks

Shoes are offered on the market at an Adidas store in Chicago, Feb. 10, 2023.

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Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden defended Ye, the artist formerly often known as Kanye West, and said the rapper didn’t mean it when he made a series of antisemitic remarks.

In a conversation on philanthropist Nicolai Tangen’s podcast “In Good Company,” Gulden was asked in regards to the retailer’s partnership with Ye and the way its Yeezy collaboration fell apart. 

“He did some statements, which wasn’t that good and that caused Adi to interrupt the contract and withdraw the product,” Gulden said on this system, which aired Sept. 12. 

“Very unlucky because I do not think he meant what he said and I do not think he’s a foul person — it just got here across that way,” he added.

Last fall, the German sneaker giant announced it was ending its highly lucrative partnership with Ye and pulling Yeezy products from its shelves after he made a series of widely criticized antisemitic remarks. 

“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but after I get up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” Ye wrote in a since deleted post on Oct. 9.

Following widespread public outcry, Adidas announced it had ended its relationship with Ye, stopped production of Yeezy-branded products and ended all payments to Ye and his corporations. 

Foot Locker and Gap soon followed suit and announced they’d pull Yeezy products from their stores.

Gulden, who was named CEO of Adidas a couple of month after the scandal unfolded, called the corporate’s breakup with Ye “very sad” since it meant that the retailer “lost that business,” which he described as one of the vital successful collaborations in history. 

“You recognize while you work with third parties, that would occur and you recognize it’s a part of the sport. That may occur with an athlete, it may possibly occur with an entertainer, so it’s a part of the business,” said Gulden. 

Earlier within the show, Gulden called Ye “one of the vital creative people on the planet,” each by way of music and street culture. 

Despite the general public comments from its chief executive, an Adidas spokesperson told CNBC that the corporate’s position on Ye “has not modified.”

Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden defended Ye, the artist formerly often known as Kanye West, and said the rapper didn’t mean it when he made a series of antisemitic remarks.

“Ending the partnership was appropriate,” the spokesperson said.