Pepsi pulls out of Wireless as Kanye West backlash grows

Pepsi announced Today it was withdrawing its sponsorship of Wireless Festival in London after the event named Kanye West as its headline act for all three nights of the July concert series, a booking that drew swift and broad condemnation across British politics and Jewish community organizations.

Pepsi  had been the festival’s main sponsor, with the event marketed under the name ‘Pepsi presents Wireless.’ A spokesperson confirmed the withdrawal on Sunday as criticism of the booking continued to build. As of Sunday afternoon, the festival’s website still carried promotional language describing Pepsi as a long-standing partner.

West, 48, who also goes by Ye, was announced earlier in the week as the headline act for the festival’s three-night run at Finsbury Park in north London from July 10 to 12. He has not performed in the United Kingdom since headlining Glastonbury in 2015.

Political and community condemnation by Pepsi

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the booking as deeply concerning, citing West’s history of antisemitic statements and what Starmer characterized as a celebration of Nazism. Starmer said antisemitism must be confronted wherever it appears and that every institution bears a responsibility to ensure Jewish people feel safe in Britain.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on the government to bar West from entering the country entirely, describing the planned appearance as an extremely serious matter. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said platforming people who make antisemitic statements or incite hatred toward Jewish people was something the country needed to actively resist. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he would not buy a ticket.

The Home Office said it had not yet received a visa application from West as of Sunday.

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called the booking the wrong decision and echoed the call for the government to consider denying West entry. Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said the booking sent a signal that antisemitism toward Jewish people was somehow acceptable.

A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the comments and actions attributed to West were offensive, wrong and inconsistent with London’s values, while noting the decision was made by festival organizers and not by City Hall.

West’s recent history

West’s antisemitic statements began drawing widespread attention in 2022, when he posted content on social media threatening Jewish people and shared imagery combining a swastika with the Star of David. His account on X was suspended multiple times as a result. Adidas terminated its partnership with him that year, stating it did not tolerate antisemitism or hate speech.

Last year, West released a song titled ‘Heil Hitler’ and was barred from entering Australia as a result. He also sold swastika-branded clothing through his website. In January, he took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal in which he stated he was not a Nazi or an antisemite and attributed a period of his behavior to a manic episode related to his bipolar disorder.

Three songs from his most recent album, Bully, released in March, were on the UK’s top 100 singles chart as of this weekend.

Broader context

West’s scheduled appearance arrives during a period of heightened anxiety about antisemitism in the United Kingdom. In March, four ambulances operated by a Jewish community service were set on fire in northwest London. Two men and a teenager appeared in court Saturday on charges related to the attack. In October of last year, two people were killed in an assault on a synagogue in Manchester.

Festival Republic, the organizer of Wireless, did not respond to requests for comment. West’s representatives also did not comment. The festival’s website continued to carry details of the July event without any acknowledgment of the sponsorship withdrawal as of this afternoon.