HOLLYWOOD—We all know Kanye West, he’s never been afraid to upset people. However, his latest tirades against Jewish people, hasn’t gone well. Two months ago, he was a billionaire music artist and businessman, and had deals with some of the world’s major brands. Just to think it all began with a T-shirt.  Let’s go back to the Paris Fashion Week in October 3, 2022.

Kanye, known as Ye, wore a t-shirt with a White Lives Matter slogan. It blew up and anti-racism campaigners called it out as hate speech, mocking the Black Lives Matter movement. Fans and fellow hip-hop stars lined up to call him out. Then it went into Instagram, days later when Kanye got involved with rapper Diddy who posted a video criticizing the White Lives Matter shirts.

Ye suggested Diddy was being controlled by Jews. He was criticized for antisemitism, and his account got suspended. Twitter happened 48 hours after. Kanye-who hasn’t posted on Twitter for almost two years-returns to the bird and takes aim at Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Facebook and Instagram. He then posts a tweet which appears to be a threat directed at Jewish people. Twitter follows Instagram’s lead and kicks him out.

Tucker Carlson from Fox News interviewed Kanye. The interview was interesting, as he actually spoke his mind as usual. An episode of YouTube talk show “The Shop: Uninterrupted” starring Kanye West is pulled over more hate speech due to his alleged use of hate speech. Kanye was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago and has publicly spoken about his challenges with his mental health. But at the time of this interview being pulled, people who share his condition told newscasters that mental health problems do not go hand-in-hand with antisemitism.

The month continued to go downhill. Major companies begin to announce they no longer want to work with him. Fashion house Balenciaga and talent scouts Creative Artists Agency follow JP Morgan Chase Bank and clothing shop Gap in ditching the artist. Adidas comes under increasing pressure to do the same. On October 25, Adidas announces its parting ways with Kanye. Cutting the partnership means Adidas will have a net loss of an estimated $266 million in 2022. It was a bigger loss for Kanye, who is estimated to make $1.5 billion from his contract with the sportwear giant. Forbes says he is no longer a billionaire and puts his new net worth at $400 million.

On October 27, shoe company Skechers says Kanye turned up unannounced and uninvited and had to be removed. The company has no plans to work with him and condemns his previous comments. Rolling Stone publishes a lengthy article claiming West engaged in toxic behavior against employees at Adidas. Three days later Kanye announces he plans to run for US president in 2024.

Before the announcement, reports circulated about him dining at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago golf club in Florida with far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes. Then it’s Infowars with Alex Jone’s and another Twitter ban in December. So what’s next for Kanye?  Kanye’s known for being unpredictable, so it’s unlikely to be the end of the saga. Time will tell if the fans will continue to listen to his music.

Rose’s Scoop: Finally the book has arrived “ED by ZLOZ,” the book is his recollection of his personal and working relationship with Edward Van Halen and the Mighty Van Halen. The book is filled with never been published photos in any previous Van Halen books. Books are personally signed by Neil Zlozower. Books can be purchased at www.zloz.com.  The book was released in September 2022.

Deeply saddened by the passing of Kirstie Alley, 71, after her battle with cancer. Kirstie was a brilliant actress, patriot and just a joy to watch on screen.