David Schwimmer Says Kanye West Hasn’t Properly Apologized

Actor David Schwimmer expressed gratitude on social media Monday to several corporate sponsors who withdrew their support from the U.K.’s Wireless Festival, where Ye, previously known as Kanye West, is scheduled to headline for three nights in June. Schwimmer is urging other sponsors to follow suit, asserting that the hip-hop artist has yet to provide a satisfactory apology for his past antisemitic remarks.

“It’s great to see companies with moral clarity,” Schwimmer commented, referring to Pepsi, PayPal, and Diageo, three sponsors that have decided to cut ties with Wireless due to Ye’s involvement. He noted that, unlike Wireless and Festival Republic, these companies chose not to support an artist known for his hate-filled rhetoric.

Schwimmer pointed to Ye’s controversial actions, such as releasing the song “Heil Hitler,” selling swastika T-shirts, and proclaiming himself a Nazi as recently as last year. Despite these actions, Ye is slated to perform at the festival in London, following sold-out shows at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium last week.

Schwimmer noted that “about two months ago (Ye) claimed to apologize for these actions in a paid advertisement in the Wall Street Journal — possibly a PR move ahead of his planned return to performing. Remember: Ye has apologized before, only to later retract it and continue his harmful rhetoric.

“This time,” Schwimmer added, “he attributed his actions to a health condition that led him to target Jews with hate speech and violent threats. Now, he’s staging a comeback, having recently performed at SoFi Stadium in California, supported by Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott, CeeLo Green, and Don Toliver. These artists seem to overlook or possibly endorse his history of antisemitism, as none have publicly condemned his past statements.”

Schwimmer expressed doubt over West’s Wall Street Journal ad, stating that the rapper has not made similar statements in any public interviews. “An apology letter is just that: Words on paper,” Schwimmer wrote. “An advertisement, intended to generate publicity before a concert tour, does not erase years of abuse. … While his famous friends may forgive him, those he hurt have no reason to trust that his apology is genuine.”

Concluding his lengthy statement, Schwimmer said, “I believe in forgiveness, but it requires much more than this.” Until Ye shows genuine efforts to rebuild trust with both the Jewish community and fans disheartened by his hateful comments, Schwimmer believes he should not be given a platform to perform. Allowing this, he argues, would mean being complicit in behavior that companies recognize as wrong and unethical. He also urged remaining sponsors, including Budweiser, Beat Box Beverages, Drip water, and Big Green Coach, to reconsider their stance.

The Wireless Festival remains steadfast against calls to cancel Ye’s performance, despite pressure from sponsors and U.K. government officials, including the prime minister, as tickets for Ye’s three-night headlining stint go on sale this week.

Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, the U.K. promoter behind Wireless, defended Ye in a statement to Variety on Monday. Benn cited personal experiences with individuals suffering from mental health issues. “I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behavior that I have had to forgive and move on from,” he wrote. “If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work.”

Benn described Ye’s past statements about Jews and Hitler as “abhorrent” but emphasized that Ye is not being given a platform to express any opinions, only to perform music enjoyed by many. “Forgiveness and granting second chances are rare virtues in today’s divisive world,” he said, “and I encourage people to reconsider their initial reactions of disgust about his performance, as I have chosen to do.”

Festival Republic, which brands itself as “the U.K.’s leading festival and event promoter,” is part of the Live Nation Entertainment Group.

Although Ye’s scheduled appearance at the festival has been contentious since its announcement last week, and the mayor of London has expressed disapproval, the situation intensified Sunday after Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized Ye’s participation in a statement to the British newspaper The Sun. “It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism,” he stated. “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted wherever it arises. Everyone has a duty to ensure Britain is a safe place for Jewish people.”

Schwimmer has consistently sought to hold Ye accountable publicly.

In February 2025, shortly after Ye posted a series of antisemitic tweets on X (including “I’m a Nazi” and “I love Hitler” and a declaration of never apologizing for his Jewish comments), Schwimmer used his Instagram account to urge Elon Musk to remove Ye from the platform. “We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spreading hate-filled, ignorant bile,” Schwimmer wrote, “but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk. Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice the number of Jews in existence. His hate speech leads to REAL LIFE violence against Jews.”

In his latest statement, Schwimmer calls for Ye to “officially withdraw the song “Heil Hitler” and explicitly, directly, and publicly disavow it.” The rapper did attempt to pull the song from circulation after its initial release last May, replacing it with an alternate version titled “Hallelujah” and later issuing copyright strikes to fans sharing it, following a meeting with a rabbi. The song resurfaced as controversial in January when Nick Fuentes, Andrew Tate, and other far-right figures sang along to it in a Miami Beach nightclub.

Schwimmer’s full statement, as posted on Instagram:

Thanks Pepsi, PayPal & Diageo.

It’s great to see companies with moral clarity.

These brands have pulled sponsorship of Wireless Festival, which disgraced itself recently by scheduling Ye (formerly Kanye West) to headline.

Unlike Wireless and Festival Republic, they decided not to platform an artist who became one of the most recognizable hate-mongering bigots in the world – while the other orgs seek only to profit from one.

For years, Ye used his considerable celebrity to promote hate and violence against Jews, spreading antisemitic lies and stereotypes to his 33 million followers — more than twice the number of Jewish people alive today.

Less than a year ago Ye released the song “Heil Hitler” (rightly banned from all major streaming platforms), sold swastika T-shirts on his website, claimed he was a Nazi and threatened to kill Jews.

But about two months ago he professed to apologize for all that in a paid ad he took out in the Wall Street Journal — perhaps part of a PR scheme to assuage folks right before his long-planned return to the stage.

Remember: Ye’s apologized before, only to retract that apology and double down on his virulent hatred of Jewish people.

This time, he explained it was a health condition that had made him specifically target Jews with hate speech and threats of violence.

So he’s launching a comeback, having recently played at SoFi Stadium in California (Kroenke family were you aware?) supported by Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott, CeeLo Green and Don Toliver — artists who seem to shrug off his history of rabid antisemitism. Or maybe endorse it? Hard to say, since none of them ever publicly denounced his past remarks.

The thing is, Ye’s words and actions the last few years have caused incalculable, irreparable damage. He has fueled world wide hatred and inspired violence against Jews everywhere, and his erratic behavior has repeatedly shown he can’t be trusted. It’s fine for his famous pals to pat him on the back and say, “It’s all good.” But the community he has harmed most has no reason to trust his apology is authentic.

If he was sincere, he would take action to repair the damage he caused.

He could officially pull the song “Heil Hitler” and explicitly, directly and publicly disavow it.

He could meet with Jewish leaders or artists to have a public conversation about his rehabilitation and to make amends.

He could offer to donate a portion of his hefty Wireless profits to one or more Jewish charitable organizations in the UK – where attacks against Jews, synagogues and Jewish businesses are among the highest ever recorded.

An apology letter is just that: Words on paper. An advertisement, generating publicity before a concert tour. It does not erase years of abuse.

I believe in forgiveness, but it takes much more than this. Then again, I do not profit from his appearing at Wireless.

Until Ye demonstrates a commitment to building back trust — not only with the Jewish community, but with ALL the fans he left heartbroken and disappointed by his hateful rhetoric the last several years — he should not be granted a platform to perform.

To do so is to be tacitly complicit in what these companies know to be wrong, unethical and immoral.

I hope Budweiser, Beat Box Beverages, Drip water and Big Green Coach come to the same conclusion.