In early October, Kanye West shocked people worldwide by publicly tweeting, “…when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE…” Although this comment seemed to come out of nowhere, Kanye’s been a controversial man for years. From his interruption of Taylor Swift’s 2009 VMA acceptance speech to the destruction of a Pete Davidson head in one of his music videos, Kanye’s never held back from making a scene. However, his recent comments have resulted in Kanye facing more backlash than ever before.

West, legally known as Ye, is one of the biggest music icons of the twenty-first century. Many people look up to him with admiration and respect for what he has accomplished. He’s accumulated twenty-one Grammy Awards, runs partnerships with major companies, and has amassed about 18.4 million Instagram followers worldwide. He even had a wax figure standing at Madame Tussauds in London.

However, in the past weeks, West’s reputation has shattered. The first spark was at a Yeezy fashion show when he walked the runway sporting a “White Lives Matter” shirt. While facing lots of retaliation due to his outfit, West has proceeded to drop continual antisemitic hate on multiple social media platforms. Although Instagram and Twitter immediately blocked his account, the messages were still seen by millions of people.
Since West’s public comments, brands like Balenciaga, Vogue, and Adidas have dropped him. His wax figure is no longer on display, and companies that deal with his music are severing ties. Yeezy was one of Adidas’ largest and most successful collaborations; the end of their partnership means that both sides likely suffered a considerable financial loss. The ending of Yeezy has been part of the reason Kanye lost his billionaire status.

The controversies have become a hot topic among students at Scarsdale High School. “It’s kinda scary because he’s gained such a following,” said Avery Dickstein ‘25. “It’s a big slap in the face for me because I know there’s antisemitism. It’s just always still surprising,” Dickstein added. Additionally, many fans are conflicted about whether they should continue to listen to West’s music. “I try to separate the music and the artist … [but] his music is gonna sound a bit worse,” stated Aubrey Kaplan ‘25. “As a Jew, I do take it personally,” Kaplan added.

The misconduct displayed by West has already resulted in major backlash, but the real question is whether this wave of backlash is enough to keep him from making a comeback. While West has come back from doing questionable things many times before through new music releases or simply the passage of time, many believe the most recent wave of criticism could be enough to ruin his reputation for good.