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ADL Calls for Fox Sports to Condemn Kanye West’s Super Bowl Ad Featuring Swastika T-Shirt
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has publicly urged Fox Sports to denounce a controversial advertisement for Kanye West’s apparel website that aired during the Super Bowl. The ad prominently featured a link to a website marketing a t-shirt bearing a Nazi swastika.
The ADL expressed serious concern, stating, “At the Super Bowl, hate took a front-row seat. Kanye West promoted an ad with a link to swastika t-shirts, broadcasting it to millions on live TV. Just days earlier, his dangerous rants on X praised Hitler, self-identified as a Nazi, and spread antisemitic vitriol. In 2022, ADL identified 30 incidents of harassment, assault, and vandalism linked to Kanye’s online outbursts. We refuse to let hate win. Bigotry has consequences. Join ADL in demanding that Fox Sports condemn this ad and never give hate a platform again,” the group stated in a petition shared on social media.
The ad, described as a low-budget video filmed on an iPhone, featured West seated in a dentist’s chair inviting viewers to visit his website, yeezy.com. Although the commercial appeared peculiar to those who witnessed it, it was not widely viewed during the Super Bowl. Reports indicate that the ad was only shown on a few local Fox affiliates in major cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.
Interestingly, multiple sources suggest that West may have misled both local broadcast stations and viewers regarding the content of his website. Initially, the website showcased various clothing items, but shortly after the advertisement aired, these listings were removed in favor of a single item: a $20 t-shirt emblazoned with a swastika, titled “HH-01.”
Representatives from Fox TV Stations, which operates the affiliates in the aforementioned cities, declined to comment on the matter. However, insiders shared with TheWrap that they had reviewed the website before the advertisement was purchased and noted that the content changed after the ad had already aired. In addition to the main markets, time slots were also bought on selected affiliates broadcasted in other areas.
This advertisement surfaced just two days after West made headlines with an alarming tirade on X, in which he declared, “I love Hitler. Now what b—s” and proclaimed, “I’m a Nazi.” He further incited controversy by captioning an image of himself wearing a “say no to Nazis” shirt with the phrase, “I used to be woke too.”
As of now, X, which is under the ownership of Elon Musk, has not issued a comment concerning the incident. West’s account was deactivated by Monday, though it remains unclear whether the decision was made by him or the platform.
Brian Lowry contributed to this report.
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