Ye has decided that he no longer identifies as a Nazi despite claiming to be one during his recent outrageous rant on social media.
On Wednesday, February 19, the controversial artist began to backtrack on his self-proclaimed affinity for Nazis. He told his 33 million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he's not a Nazi after all. Although he distanced himself from the hate group, Ye did not explain the antisemitic comments he made during his posting spree on Super Weekend nor did he clarify his past praise for Adolf Hitler.
“After further reflection I’ve come to the realization that I’m not a Nazi,” he wrote.
Photo: X
The artist formerly known as Kanye West has yet to reveal what prompted him to walk back his statements. It's possible that Adam Sandler's backhanded shout-out during his performance at "SNL 50" may have something to do with it. In his song, Sandler sang "50 Years of finding out your favorite musician is antisemitic." Before his revelation, Ye thanked the actor-comedian for the love.
"Adam Sandler Thank you for the love," he wrote.
Ye previously spoke about his appreciation for Hitler and the Nazis during his offensive earlier this month. Ye told fans to call him "Yaydolf Yitler" and said the deceased dictator, who destroyed over six million Jews in World War II, was "sooooo fresh." Ye doubled down on his alleged love for the Nazis by selling a t-shirt with a swastika on the front. He claimed he's been wanting to sell the shirt for years. The shirt went on sale for $20 on his Yeezy store. His offensive item was up for nearly 24 hours before Shopify, the e-commerce site that hosts his online store, shut it down.
This isn't the first time Ye has angered fans and critics alike with his praise for Hitler. In 2022, he went on an antisemitic rant in which he claimed he wanted to go "Death Con 3" on Jewish people. His viral outbursts cost him numerous corporate partnerships with adidas, Balenciaga and others. Ye has been accused of using antisemitic comments to bully former Yeezy employees. One woman recently sued Ye for allegedly firing her after she reported his hateful rhetoric during her time working at Yeezy. She claimed the artist verbally abused her and other Jewish employees in group chats for months while she worked at Yeezy. Ye has yet to comment on the allegations.