Pepsi Pulls Wireless Sponsorship Over Kanye West Booking

Last summer the Slovak music festival Rubicon was cancelled on short notice after organizers faced backlash for booking Kanye West as its headliner. In January, the artist now going by Ye issued a contentious apology disavowing his previous alignment with right-wing ideologies and embrace of Nazi rhetoric. He chalked up his abusive and erratic behavior to his bipolar disorder and a previously undiagnosed brain injury, adding that he was now committed to "accountability, treatment, and meaningful change." Two months later, he dropped his new album BULLY, which is out now.

Somehow, Ye is still scheduled to headline all three nights at this July's Wireless Festival in London. But the fate of the festival is a bit up the air now that Pepsi has withdrawn their sponsorship of the fest, following comments by Prime Minister Keir Starmer: "It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism," he said (via the Guardian). "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." After Starmer's remarks were made public, a spokesperson for Pepsi said simply: "Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless festival."

Though Wireless still appears to be going on as planned, there's still a chance Ye might not be allowed in the UK. The country's immigration rules state that a person can be denied entry into if their character or conduct — both in the UK and abroad — are considered threatening to UK society. Some notable UK politicians, such as Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, have asked the government to ban Ye from entering.

Luckily for Ye, it doesn't seem like he's having too many issues booking shows in the US. Last Wednesday and Friday he headlined SoFi Stadium outside of Los Angeles, live-debuting a bunch of BULLY tracks as well as some older hits. Across both nights Travis Scott, Lauryn Hill, Don Toliver, CeeLo Green, and his daughter North West all made onstage appearances.