Sponsors pull out of festival headlined by Ye on the heels of sold-out SoFi Stadium shows

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Major sponsors have pulled out of a music festival in England set to be headlined by Ye.

Ye, the artist previously known as Kanye West, will be performing three concerts in London’s Finsbury Park in July as part of the Wireless Festival. These shows follow his recent sold-out performances at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, marking his attempt to return to the public eye after facing years of criticism for making antisemitic remarks.

Pepsi announced over the weekend it was ending its sponsorship of the Wireless festival. CNN also reported that Diageo, another beverage company, had done the same.

Music

The rapper kicked off a two-night concert series Wednesday, performing both new tracks and classic hits on a large dome-shaped stage set up on the stadium floor.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously expressed serious concerns about Ye performing at the festival, citing his past expressions of support for Nazism.

In January, the rapper published a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal for his recent actions, including expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler. He explained his behavior, attributing it to bipolar disorder, which he claims began after a car accident in 2002.

Ye’s latest album, “Bully,” came out last month and quickly reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. During his concert at SoFi Stadium, he surprised the audience by bringing out special guests like Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, CeeLo Green, and even his 12-year-old daughter, North West.

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2026-04-06 20:32