Kanye West reportedly lied to an advertising agency to run anti-Semitic ads during the Super Bowl. The commercial switched content on his website to plug in sw edited t-shirts.
The 15-second ad showing the rapper sitting in a dentist's chair is shown as indicating he will discuss a new dental research before directing the original Yeezy.com site that carries non-aggressive products. It was being sold. According to the Wall Street Journal.
However, the site scrubs all items and visitors can see the following shortly after the ads aired around 9:30pm in FOX affiliates in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as in select markets nationwide. He was greeted with images of despicable Nazis. At the Fox Station owned by Nexuster in St. Louis, Missouri
USIM, the advertising agency responsible for placing the ads, submitted the commercial to the TV station the last Thursday, ensuring the broadcaster that the content had been reviewed, the Journal reported.
Both Fox and Nexstar executives reportedly were checking out the Yeezy website at the time, only discovering common athletic apparel for sale.
Changed his name to yeah, West unleashed a series of X's inflammatory posts a few days before the Super Bowl. He posted statements to X, including “Whipping Your Jews” and “I love Hitler.”
In response, X banned the rapper after his latest anti-Semitism explosion.
Shopify, the e-commerce platform that hosts the Yeezy website, pulled out the heat by allowing it to stay active following the Super Bowl before shutting down its online store on Tuesday.
The company issued a statement explaining that West's website violated its policy and was not engaged in what is called “genuine commercial practices.”
Attempts to reach YE for comments were not answered.
Doug Livingston, president and COO of USIM, confirmed that the agency reviewed the ads prior to submission and did not encounter any problematic content.
The agency, which was hired by executives associated with Yeezy LLC a few weeks ago, ended its relationship with the brand on Friday following West's offensive social media posts.
Having realized the nature of the products sold on the site, USIM immediately notified the TV station on Monday to draw an ad.
Unlike nationally aired Super Bowl commercials that require approval from Fox and the NFL, regional ads follow a different approval process that is often processed at individual local stations.
Sources familiar with the issue said at the time of the review, the Yeezy website looked like a standard retail platform.
Officials from Fox Sports, who aired the Super Bowl, and the NFL, said they had no prior knowledge of the ads before it aired.
Fox Sports is owned by Fox Corp. This is a sister company of Post's corporate parent, News Corp.
The NFL on Tuesday denounced anti-Semitism, highlighting its lack of involvement in approving or broadcasting the ad.
With Super Bowl ad slots reaching up to $8 million with a 30-second airtime, regional purchases offer a more cost-effective way to get brands' attention.
Advertisers may select local spots to generate buzz while avoiding high price tags for national commercials.
For example, in the Los Angeles market, local Super Bowl ad slots were estimated to cost around $1 million.
Last week's West's social media explosion elicited quick criticism from organisations such as the Prevention League and the American Jewish Commission.
Notable figures, including actor David Schwimmer, sought to be removed from the X from the West.
His account remained active until the weekend, with the ads airing as planned, but the backlash was immediate.
The Prevention League sent letters of protest to Fox and Nexter, urging viewers to express complaints about the ads.
By Tuesday, West's X account had been deleted.
This latest debate is part of a long pattern of anti-Semitism remarks from the West, leading to the loss of multiple business partnerships, including those with a gap between Adidas.
In 2022, he was stopped by X after posting Swastika, urging platform owner Elon Musk to cite violations of the site's policy against inciting violence.
His account was revived in mid-2023, but X announced that he could not monetize his content or place ads alongside his posts.
