Members of the entertainment and media community have called out a series of statements from the Ye over the weekend labeled antisemitic by the American Defamation League.
Kanye West on Oct. 2, 2022 in Paris, France.
Edward Berthelot/GC Images
Sarah Silverman, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Rapaport are among those in Hollywood and the larger entertainment and media industry responding to a recent tweet from Kanye West repeatedly labeled antisemitic by the American Defamation League and others.
In a tweet featuring West’s now-removed Twitter statement, which he posted Saturday night (Oct. 8), Curtis told the rapper that his “words hurt and incite violence.”
“The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in a genocide,” she wrote. “You are a father. Please stop.”
The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in a genocide. Your words hurt and incite violence. You are a father. Please stop. pic.twitter.com/8iFuKwwspw
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) October 9, 2022
Comedian Sarah Silverman addressed what she describes as silence from those outside the Jewish community following West’s statements. “Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on twitter and it’s not even trending,” she wrote. “Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud.”
Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on twitter and it’s not even trending. Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) October 9, 2022
Actor and comedian Michael Rapaport addressed his previous defenses of West during his public spat with Pete Davidson while calling the rapper a “creep” and arguing that he’s pushing the same rhetoric as U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and those who attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.
The Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance denounced the rapper’s comments as “hurtful, offensive and wrong. They perpetuate stereotypes that have been the basis for discrimination and violence against Jews for thousands of years. Words like this tear at the fabric of the Black-Jewish relationship. The Black and Jewish communities must stand together through incidents like this to make clear that trafficking in hateful stereotypes is unacceptable — and that the words of one entertainer do not reflect the views of an entire community.”
Meanwhile, the Creative Community for Peace also condemned his remarks. “In the past week, Ye has spread some of the most vile and age-old stereotypes about Jews to his hundreds of millions of followers,” the organization said. “There should be no place for this kind of hate in our public discourse. We support every entertainer’s right to free speech, but no one has a free pass to target and demonize a minority group with such malice. We are gravely concerned about the impact of Ye’s statements — and how they will affect his fans, particularly young people. At the same time, we hope this can be a moment that ultimately creates better awareness about the dangers of antisemitism for Ye, his fans, and other entertainers. We remain open to dialogue with him about how harmful and fallacious his comments are.”
The comments follow Twitter removing Ye’s tweet on Saturday for violating the platform’s rules after the rapper wrote that he was going to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”
“The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda,” he ended the tweet.
Under Twitter’s rules, hateful conduct, or the promotion of violence against, threats or harassment of other people on the basis of several identity-related factors, including race, ethnicity, national origin and religious affiliation, is prohibited in tweets, but also images and handles.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Twitter for comment on West’s violation.
The comment followed Meta’s removal of Instagram posts by West for violating that platform’s policies after he posted text messages between him and fellow rapper P. Diddy claiming he would “show the Jews that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
A spokesperson with Meta confirmed to THR that the company had deleted content from the @kanyewest handle, the rapper’s official Instagram account. While it’s still visible, the account has been restricted. Meta applies its restriction policy following users’ repeated violations and can temporarily prevent them from sharing posts, writing comments or sending direct messages.
While it’s not clear which rule the tweet or Instagram post violated, they — published around the same time as West’s controversial Tucker Carlson interview — have been labeled bigoted and antisemitic by a number of entities beyond Hollywood, including the ADL, which addressed West’s comments on two separate occasions this past week.
“Power. Disloyalty. Greed. Deicide. Blood. Denial. Anti-Zionism. All of these are antisemitic tropes,” the ADL’s Sunday statement reads. “Many of these myths have influenced @KanyeWest’s comments recently, and it’s dangerous.”
On Friday, the American Defamation League also responded to earlier comments made by the rapper and his decision to wear a White Lives Matter shirt.
“The behavior exhibited this week by @kanyewest is deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic, period. There is no excuse for his propagating of white supremacist slogans and classic #antisemitism about Jewish power, especially with the platform he has,” the organization tweeted on Oct. 7.
Updated 5:24 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9: Added statements from the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance and the Creative Community for Peace.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
