Boy George slams Kim Kardashian’s silence in face of Kanye West’s antisemitism

English pop star Boy George said Saturday he was “appalled” by recent antisemitic comments made by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, and slammed Kim Kardashian for not openly criticizing her ex-husband over the scandal.

In a video posted on Instagram, Boy George said he was “listening with great sadness to the antisemitic comments coming out of Kanye West’s mouth” and that he was “kind of appalled that not more artists have come out and spoke against what he’s saying.”

“I’m appalled that Kim Kardashian hasn’t come out and added her voice to this debate, because this woman has children with Kanye, so she must understand as a mother what it feels like for little Jewish children to hear these f***ing comments, how demoralizing and terrifying it must be.”

He continued: “As a gay man I have experienced years of prejudice, you know, so the idea of doing that to someone else based on their race or their color or their sexuality or their gender is just f***ing appalling to me, and it should be appalling to you.”

Though not Jewish himself, the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club has maintained a close relationship with the Jewish state. He has performed in Israel several times and has spoken out against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

In 2020, the pop star, real name George Alan O’Dowd, declared his love for Israel by releasing a single written and sung with Israeli Asaf Goren, with lyrics in English and Hebrew.

Ye has faced a public uproar over recent statements deemed by many to be antisemitic.

In one of his first tweets in two years, Ye wrote earlier this month: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” That tweet was later removed by Twitter.

He initially doubled down on his attack, saying he was “used to being screwed by the Jewish media,” that “the Jewish media blocked me out” and that “Jewish people have owned the Black voice.”

Twitter and Instagram have since suspended the rapper from their platforms, saying his posts have violated their policies.

In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that aired last week, Ye defended his remarks but said he was sorry that they caused pain to some.

“I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the confusion that I caused. I feel like I caused hurt and confusion and I’m sorry for the families of the people that have nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through,” he said.

Asked by Morgan whether he still loved Kardashian, to whom he was married for six years, Ye said “absolutely, I’ll love her for life,” later adding: “We’ll always be together. She dresses exactly like me.”

According to a report by Daily Mail, Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel has essentially called for the blacklisting of Ye, urging large companies that work with him to reconsider their agreements.

“Apple and Spotify, which host West’s music, whoever organizes West’s tours, and Adidas, which collaborates with West on his fashion line, should all stop working with him,” said Emanuel.

Last week, the Balenciaga fashion house said it was cutting ties with Ye.

Ye had collaborated in several areas with Balenciaga and its artistic director, Demna Gvasalia. The label has also had an active relationship with Kardashian, who has appeared in its advertising campaigns and credits her former husband with introducing her to the brand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.