In a series of controversial posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, February 6, rapper Kanye West, 47, sparked outrage by praising Adolf Hitler while simultaneously defending Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is currently detained on federal sex crime charges.
West's inflammatory posts included antisemitic statements where he claimed that antisemitism was "just some bulls— Jewish people made up" and advocated for normalizing discussions about "antisemitic leaders." The rapper explicitly stated he would not apologize for his hateful language.
In the same thread, West expressed support for Diddy, who is currently awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting people for prostitution. West insisted that Diddy should be "freed from jail," interweaving this message with his antisemitic rhetoric.
The controversy deepened when West referenced X owner Elon Musk's controversial one-armed salute, accusing him of copying what he termed "Nazi swag." This came amid West's broader commentary about his wife Bianca Censori's revealing outfit at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
This incident adds to West's history of antisemitic behavior. In October 2022, similar controversial statements led to major corporations, including Adidas, Balenciaga, and Gap, severing ties with the rapper. Adidas notably terminated their partnership, describing West's comments as "unacceptable, hateful and dangerous."
The situation was further complicated by previous allegations from a former Adidas employee who claimed West had expressed admiration for Hitler during business meetings. While West denied these claims, he reached an undisclosed settlement with the employee in November 2022.
As screen captures of the now-deleted posts continue to circulate, civil rights organizations and media outlets have condemned West's latest statements, viewing them as another example of the rapper using his platform to promote divisive and harmful viewpoints.