Pepsi pulls sponsorship of Wireless Festival following Kanye West’s booking
Pepsi withdraws sponsorship
Pepsi has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Wireless Festival set to feature Kanye West following criticism from Sir Keir Starmer regarding West’s antisemitic remarks.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is under pressure to consider a ban on Kanye West’s entry to the UK following rising antisemitism concerns.
US News understands that the Home Office has not yet received an application for Kanye West to enter the UK for the Wireless Festival in July.
Briefing summary
Pepsi confirmed the withdrawal of its sponsorship from the Wireless Festival, which Kanye West is scheduled to headline, following criticism from Sir Keir Starmer regarding West’s antisemitic remarks.
Sir Keir Starmer expressed deep concern over West’s booking for the event, emphasizing the need to confront antisemitism to ensure a safe environment for Jewish people in the UK.
Full reading: Pepsi withdraws sponsorship of Wireless Festival after Kanye West booking | Ents & Arts News
Pepsi has withdrawn its sponsorship of Wireless Festival which Kanye West is due to headline, after Sir Keir Starmer joined criticism of the event.
The US rapper has previously been condemned over his antisemitic remarks.
The 48-year-old musician – who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015 – is set to top the bill for all three nights of the festival in London’s Finsbury Park in July.
On Sunday, a Pepsi spokesperson said: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.”
US News has approached festival organisers for a response.
In the time since he last performed on UK soil, West has drawn criticism for antisemitic X posts, a Super Bowl advert directing people to a swastika T-shirt and a song referencing Hitler.
Sir Keir said it was “deeply concerning” that West has been booked “despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.
“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,” the prime minister said.
West, also known as Ye, has been barred from X over antisemitism on multiple occasions.
In January, West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise, titled: “To Those I’ve Hurt.”
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” it said. “I love Jewish people.”
Sir Keir Starmer has criticised West. Pic: PA/AP
West attributed his previous outbursts to his bipolar-1 disorder, writing: “In early 2025, I fell into a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life.
“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret.”
The rapper also apologised to the black community, saying he had let it down.
West previously lost his deal with Adidas following a post on his social media in 2022, in which he shared an image of a swastika inside a Star of David.
Adidas, which had worked with the rapper on his Yeezy trainers, subsequently donated more than $150m (£117m) to anti-hate groups.
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Shortly afterwards, he drew criticism over a TV advert that directed people to a website selling a swastika t-shirt and released a song titled Heil Hitler.
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, last week called for the government to ban West from entering the UK.
He said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood should “ban him from coming to this country – we’ve got to take antisemitism more seriously”.
US News understands the Home Office is yet to receive an application for West to enter the UK.
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