Wireless festival sponsorship dropped by major brands after Kanye West's headline slot is announced
Several massive brands have withdrawn their sponsorship of Wireless Festival after organisers confirmed that Kanye West would be headlining the three-day weekend.
It was announced last week that the disgraced musician, who legally changed his name to 'Ye' in 2021, would be taking to the stage at Finsbury Park in North London in July.
West, 48, is expected to perform some of his most popular hits as the headline act on 10, 11 and 12 July - much to the dismay of millions of festival fans.
On several occasions in recent years, the rapper has publicly voiced his adoration of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and praised his attempted eradication of Europe's Jewish population during WWII.
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A Swastika T-shirt was also advertised on West's official website last year, and months later, he released a song titled 'Heil Hitler'.
Back in January, the father-of-four attempted to apologise for his remarks. In place of a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal newspaper, West wrote a letter apologising to Jewish people and Black people for his offensive remarks.
At the time, the musician claimed his antisemitic remarks had been spurred by an episode of bipolar disorder, which he said plunged him into a 'four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life'.
Despite his claims, several of Wireless Festival's most loyal sponsors have since removed their support, condemning West's controversial appearance.
On Sunday (5 Apr), bosses of cola-drink brand Pepsi announced they'd be withdrawing their support.
"Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival," a company spokesperson declared.
Minutes later, alcoholic beverage giant Diageo pulled the same move.
A spokesperson for the brand, famed for producing Johnnie Walker whiskey and Captain Morgan rum, told ITV: "We have informed the organisers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival."
Earlier today (6 Apr), a spokesperson for PayPal confirmed that none of the company's branding would appear at this year's musical get-together, nor at any Wireless events for the foreseeable future.
Though it's not an official sponsor of the festival, the financial tech firm has long offered early access to tickets for music fans as the payments partner of Live Nation UK Festivals.
A source also told Far Out that the drinks company Rockstar Energy would be pulling out of its sponsorship, too, over the festival's ties to West.
A statement released on Sunday by the British Prime Minister called the decision from Wireless organisers to book West, 'deeply concerning'.
"It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism," Sir Keir Starmer told The Sun.
"Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure."
Stamer's team are now facing pressure to put a stop to West's arrival on UK soil.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) backed a ban on the rapper on X, writing in a statement: "The government can ban anyone from entering the UK who is not a citizen and whose presence would 'not be conducive to the public good'. Surely this is a clear case."
UK immigration legislation rules that a person can be denied entry based on their character, conduct, or associations, if and when these pose a threat to British society.
Situations are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Despite this, Home Office guidelines contain a list of scenarios for which an individual might be removed, such as if they're engaged in extremism or other offensive behaviour, including views that 'foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK'.
Topics: Music, Festivals, UK News, US News, Celebrity, Kanye West
Rhianna Benson