Bill Maher revealed that he filmed a two-hour interview with Kanye West, but decided to not air it over fears of spreading the rapper’s “concept that Israel and the Jews are the worst people on the planet.”
“He’s a really charming antisemite,” Maher added during a “TMZ Investigates” documentary that examined Kanye West, now referred to as Ye, and his public outbursts concerning the likes of Donald Trump, Jesus, and Adolf Hitler.
Maher noted that despite the 10-minute, divisive diatribes, Ye has been capable of repeatedly bounce back. “The issue, I feel, is that he appeals mostly — after all, he’s a rock star — to young people,” the “Club Random with Bill Maher” podcast host told TMZ through the documentary aired Monday.
“They don’t know much and so they surely don’t know much concerning the Middle East or Jews,” Maher added of Ye’s young fans.
“So the mixture of, , Kanye on the market — I feel like he type of like was helpful for spreading the fertilizer, and I do mean fertilizer, for this concept that Israel and the Jews are just like the worst people on the planet.”
Bill Maher said during a TMZ documentary aired Monday that he recorded a two-hour podcast with Kanye West, now referred to as Ye, but he won’t release it over fears of spreading the rapper’s views on Israel. TMZ
Ye has landed himself in hot water multiple times over his public meltdowns about topics like Donald Trump, Adolf Hitler and the Jewish community. Maher called the rapper “a really charming antisemite.” Corbis via Getty Images
Maher added that Ye is “not the just one in America who feels that way. It’s not just like the Jews are universally loved aside from Kanye West,” noting that having an episode with the 46-year-old “Stronger” singer was intended to be “a learning moment.”
TMZ founder Harvey Levin interrupted: “Hold on, Bill. You can say the identical thing about Hitler. You already know, a whole lot of people were considering what he was considering, but in Kanye’s case, the incontrovertible fact that he’s saying it out loud gives other people permission to say it too, right?”
“Yes, exactly,” Maher replied in an exchange earlier reported on by Mediaite. “That’s why I wouldn’t air that episode because I’m not going to contribute to this.”
It’s unclear when Maher filmed the podcast episode with Ye, or if it got here before his December apology “to the Jewish community for any unintended outbursts attributable to my words or actions,” Ye wrote in Hebrew in an Instagram story.
Though Ye’s bizarre statement — which drew mixed reviews from onlookers who were unsure if the rapper was real — didn’t mention a particular moment where he unleashed a slew of antisemitic remarks, 10 days prior he had done just that.
Ye shared this apology in Hebrew to his Instagram story in December. The post divided fans, who were unsure if Ye was being real. Instagram/kanyewest
“It’s 60 million of us in America, 60 million Jews on the planet,” West ranted in a video obtained by TMZ. “Who’s going to make the hospitals, though? He’s a Zionist, Trump. That is what I’ve been attempting to let you know. Jesus Christ, Hitler, Ye, third party, sponsor that.”
In October 2022, Ye also got himself locked out of his then-Twitter account after posting: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but once I get up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”
After the tweet, Adidas and Gap severed ties with Ye, who had also told Alex Jones during an “Infowars” interview shortly thereafter, “I like Hitler.”
“Every human being has something of value that they dropped at the table, especially Hitler,” Ye also said during his conversation with the alt-right radio show host.
Adidas — which sold a well-liked line of shoes created in collaboration with the rapper, called Yeezys — said on the time that it “doesn’t tolerate antisemitism and some other type of hate speech.”
During an interview with alt-right radio show host Alex Jones, Ye said: “I like Hitler.” Info Wars
The athletic apparel giant has since sold off a part of its remaining Yeezy inventory, giving a part of the profits to groups just like the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, run by social justice advocate Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd.
Gap, which sold its own Yeezy collection consisting of T-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants, has also suffered losses over its failed partnership with the embattled rapper.
The corporate has since sued Ye for $2 million, alleging he made unapproved changes to a Los Angeles rental property the owner is attempting to collect on.
In consequence of the squashed deals with Adidas and Gap, Ye lost his billionaire status, as a whopping $1.5 billion of his estimated $2 billion fortune was attributed to his relationship with the apparel corporations.
