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The LeBron James-produced HBO talk show The Shop: Uninterrupted announced it is scrapping a new episode featuring rapper and fashion designer Ye spouting "hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."
The episode came on the heels of several incidents in the past week in which Ye has made appallingly antisemitic comments, including centuries-old conspiracy theories and remarks many interpreted as threats of violence.
The Shop's production company said the episode was produced as an opportunity for Ye to clarify his recent anti-Jewish statements and conspiracy theories.
Instead, he seems to have used the invitation as an opportunity to double down on them.
\u201cKanye West Episode of 'The Shop' Pulled After Rapper Doubles Down on Bigoted Comments https://t.co/cOydBrKTCd\u201d— TheWrap (@TheWrap) 1665550223
In a statement, Maverick Carter, CEO of The Shop producer Springhill Entertainment, explained:
"Kanye was booked weeks ago and, after talking to Kanye directly the day before we taped, I believed he was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments."
"Unfortunately, he used The Shop to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."
Carter went on to call Ye's comments hate speech.
He had some pointed words for the controversial rapper.
"While The Shop embraces thoughtful discourse and differing opinions, we have zero tolerance for hate speech of any kind and will never allow our channels to be used to promote hate."
“I take full responsibility for believing Kanye wanted a different conversation and apologize to our guests and crew. Hate speech should never have an audience.”
The move comes on the heels of Ye's suspension from both Instagram and Twitter because of his antisemitic comments.
The controversy over his remarks only intensified when deleted footage surfaced from a recent Fox News interview with Ye and the channel's Tucker Carlson, whose show has become a haven for all manner of bigotry, White nationalist, Christian nationalist and eliminationist rhetoric.
Tucker and others at Fox turned Ye into something of a far-right hero after his endorsements of former Republican President Donald Trump and his several incidents of bigoted comments about Jews, Anti-Blackness and misogynoir.
Carlson and Fox chose not to air footage in which Ye spouted antisemitic stereotypes like the notion Jews control all global capital and banking, as well as rhetoric pertaining to Black Hebrew Israelites theory Black people are the "chosen people" spoken of in the Bible and Jewish people are "not the real Jews."
On Twitter, people weren't exactly surprised the episode had to be scrapped given Ye's recent behavior.
\u201cKanye: \u201cI hate Jews\u201d\nThe Shop Producers: \u201cwould you like to come on and elaborate good sir?\u201d\n\nKanye on The Shop: \u201cstill hate Jews\u201d\nThe Shop Producers: \ud83d\ude27\ud83d\ude27\ud83d\ude27\ud83d\ude27\u201d— Tyler Conway (@Tyler Conway) 1665584547
\u201cLeBron listening to Kanye West talk in 'The Shop'\u201d— NBA Memes (@NBA Memes) 1665556580
\u201cThey pulled Kanye's episode of The Shop with Lebron James because he came on there acting a fool and reiterating hate speech, according to the producers. The fact that they really thought that he was going to come on their and be cool, in his current state of mind, is silly\u201d— Will Smith Slapped Me (@Will Smith Slapped Me) 1665593421
\u201c[Lost episode of The Shop]\nKANYE: Bron you the goat! Matter fact, you the Hitler of basketball!\n*complete silence on the panel*\nKANYE: Jordan not even close\u201d— Bradford William Davis ("playoff b") (@Bradford William Davis ("playoff b")) 1665612056
\u201cThe people speculating that The Shop had every intention of airing the full Kanye interview but then panicked upon realizing that if they tried to just edit out the anti-semitism, there was no meaningful footage left are probably 100% correct.\u201d— LaT \u2696\ud83d\udc96\ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc99 (@LaT \u2696\ud83d\udc96\ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc99) 1665611806
\u201cthe reason i\u2019ve never gotten into \u2018the shop\u2019 is specifically because there\u2019s zero pushback so i highly doubt anyone in there said anything when kanye started going off the rails\u201d— chihuahua business man (@chihuahua business man) 1665605486
\u201c*reads Kanye The Shop story*\n\nWow, good job on The Shop for not airing that..... WAIT THEY RECORDED IT LIKE A FEW DAYS AGO\u201d— Nick Angstadt (@Nick Angstadt) 1665594238
\u201cNow why would they have Kanye on The Shop and not expect it to go left?\u201d— U FRICKIN STUPID IDIOT!! (@U FRICKIN STUPID IDIOT!!) 1665543263
\u201c@marcelluswiley That ain't censorship, not even close\n\nKanye still free to air his racism however he wants. The Shop decided they aren't gonna be a part of it. That's their right.\u201d— Marcellus Wiley \ud83e\udde2 (@Marcellus Wiley \ud83e\udde2) 1665605113
\u201cWhat was the shop expecting when they signed Kanye up for an episode? Lmfao\u201d— Aokiji \u30af\u30b6\u30f3 (@Aokiji \u30af\u30b6\u30f3) 1665545373
While The Shop made the right decision, it seems it's far too late to contain Ye's rhetoric.
Ye's antisemitism already became a point of celebration among right-wing fascist and White nationalist movements on social media apps like Telegram, message boards like 4chan and neo-Nazi internet forums.