Ye headlining London fest chases off sponsors PayPal, Pepsi
Published in Entertainment News
PayPal and Pepsi are among the blockbuster sponsors pulling out of an upcoming London music festival thanks to its headlining act, the enduringly controversial Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
The 48-year-old Grammy winner, who’s taken it upon himself to promote Nazism, is slated to headline all three nights of Wireless Festival, which will take place in Finsbury Park from July 10 through July 12.
PayPal will no longer appear in any of the rap and hip-hop fest’s future promotional materials, despite previously serving as an annual partner, per ITV News Monday.
TMZ reports that Pepsi has also severed ties with this year’s fest, followed shortly thereafter by beverage company Diageo.
The Daily News has reached out to the festival to ask how the sponsorships falling through will impact the festival or the decision to keep Ye as headliner.
Also Monday, ITV reported that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer finds it “deeply concerning” to have Ye headline.
Politicians and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) alike have called on officials to ban the “Heartless” rapper from heading across the pond — where he has not performed since headlining Glastonbury Festival in 2015.
Ye is fresh off the March 27 release of his latest album, “Bully,” which was initially expected to drop at the end of January.
Days prior, Ye took out a full-page Wall Street Journal ad to apologize for years of antisemitic and racist screeds and stunts. Many viewed the apology as a means of generating good press ahead of “Bully,” which was promptly denied by the rapper, whose 2025 antisemitic anthem “Heil Hitler” pays homage to the Nazi leader.
Just last week, while playing his first Los Angeles show since 2021, Ye stopped a SoFi stadium performance no less than three times to slam the “corny” lighting.
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