Kanye West defended by Adidas CEO following anti-Semitic controversy

The chief executive of Adidas has put his weight behind Kanye West in the wake of the rapper’s row of anti-Semitic remarks last year.

During an appearance on a recent podcast interview with CNN, Bjørn Gulden heaped praise for the fashion mogul, branding him as “one of the most creative people in the world.”

Admitting that the comments made by Ye were “not that good,” Gulden said he doesn’t believe the rapper “meant what he said.”

West’s Yeezy line was shunted from various fashion agencies, including Adidas and Belanciaga, for running an elaborate campaign against Jews during the later half of last year.

“Very unfortunate,” said Gulden of the whole fiasco, “because I don’t think he meant what he said, and I don’t think he’s a bad person. It just came across that way.”

“That meant we lost that business, one of the most successful collabs in the history … very sad,” he continued.

The executive assured the outlet that the status of their partnership has “not changed,” noting it was an “appropriate” move to make at the time.

Kanye West drew ire from public following his tirade against Jews in media, including a podcast and continual statement against the community on his Twitter, formerly X.