Rapper Kanye West made a statement on Instagram on Saturday saying that he renounces anti-Semitism. In the post, Ye mentions that seeing actor Jonah Hill in the movie “21 Jump Street” made him like Jews again. This statement comes after a series of threats he made against Jewish people, which led sportswear giant Adidas and other fashion houses to disassociate themselves from him and be blocked from most social networks.
In his post, Kanye appeared to make an attempt to retract his previous statements of “love” for Nazis and admiration for Adolf Hitler. The rapper wrote that “no one should take anger at one or two individuals and turn it into hatred for millions of innocent people.” He went on to say that “no Christian can be labeled an anti-Semite knowing that Jesus is Jewish. Thank you, Jonah Hill; I love you.”
While some social media users received the statement with humor, many were not buying it. Some claimed that the damage had already been done and that the seeds of hatred he had planted had already sprouted.
Kanye, who speaks openly about his struggle with mental illness, has seen his business relationships crumble as his erratic behavior and extremist speech have raised concerns. While this statement appears to be an attempt to backtrack on his previous statements, it is uncertain whether his reputation will recover.