Kanye West made antisemitic comments on Twitter earlier this month.
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Yeezy’s former COO, who is Jewish, spoke out in support of Kanye West after his antisemitic remarks.
Udi Avshalom, who was COO for three years, said West “knows he’s talking nonsense.”
He called for people to “chill” and not “judge” the rapper, whom he said would realize his error.
The former chief operating officer of Yeezy, who is Jewish, has defended Kanye West following his anti-semitic remarks, telling people to “chill” and not to “judge” him.
Udi Avshalom, who worked for Yeezy from 2017 until this month, reportedly wrote on Instagram that while he “loves” his former boss, he is also “upset at the same time.” He claimed West “knows he’s talking nonsense” but called for people not to judge him as he would come to realize his error.
His comments were first reported by the Daily Mail.
West, also known as Ye, made antisemitic remarks on Twitter earlier this month. He said he would be “going death con 3 on Jewish people” but that he couldn’t be antisemitic “because black people are actually Jew also.”
Avshalom said West “has trusted me for years, I am Jewish. We made history together. I helped build his brand for him. I pray for positive results. I hope he wakes up tomorrow in a better place, do what’s right and get back to building culture.”
The rapper’s Yeezy partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap have been dissolved this week following his offensive remarks.
Adidas expected to take a 250 million euro ($246 million) hit to profits this year by terminating its partnership with Yeezy.
The German company, which has collaborated with West apparel and sneakers since 2014, said it was cutting ties as it “does not tolerate antisemitism.”
Similarly, Gap said it was immediately removing Yeezy Gap from its physical and online stores. The retailer said racism and hate was “inexcusable” and not in line with its values.
West said he lost $2 billion in a day after his offensive comments and behavior.
Avshalom did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.