The former COO of Yeezy, who is Jewish, said 'don't judge' Ye over antisemitic remarks
- The former COO of Yeezy, who is Jewish, spoke out in support of Ye after his antisemitic remarks.
- Udi Avshalom, who was COO for three years, said Ye "knows he's talking nonsense."
The former chief operating officer of Yeezy, who is Jewish, has defended Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, following his antisemitic remarks, telling people to "chill" and to not "judge" him.
Udi Avshalom, who worked for the Yeezy brand from 2017 until this month, reportedly wrote on Instagram that while he "loves" his former boss, he is also "upset at the same time." He claimed Ye "knows he's talking nonsense" but called for people to not judge him, as he would come to realize his error.
The Daily Mail first reported his comments.
Ye made antisemitic remarks on Twitter earlier this month. He said he would be "going death con 3 on Jewish people" but that he couldn't be antisemitic "because black people are actually Jew also."
Avshalom said Ye "has trusted me for years, I am Jewish. We made history together. I helped build his brand for him. I pray for positive results. I hope he wakes up tomorrow in a better place, does what's right and get back to building culture."
Avshalom told Insider via a LinkedIn message: "I am not defending him at all I say that clearly, he is wrong. I just see more love than hate between the Black and Jewish community and would hate this one person's opinion (which has serious mental episode) to ever ruin the progress we are trying to make as communities and as Americans. In no way do I defend any of his nonsense talk."
Ye's Yeezy partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga, and Gap have been dissolved this week following his remarks.
Adidas expects to take a 250 million euro, or about $246 million, hit to profits this year by terminating its partnership with Yeezy.
The German company, which has collaborated with Ye's apparel and sneakers since 2014, said it was cutting ties as it "does not tolerate antisemitism."
Similarly, Gap representatives said the company was immediately removing Yeezy Gap from its physical and online stores. The retailer said racism and hate was "inexcusable" and not in line with its values.
Ye said he lost $2 billion in a day after his offensive comments and related behavior.