Lebron James' 'The Shop' pulls Kanye West episode

ByTEDDY GRANT ABCNews logo
Thursday, October 13, 2022

Kanye West's upcoming appearance on HBO's "The Shop: Uninterrupted" will no longer air, according to the CEO of the company that produces the series.

West, who changed his name to Ye, filmed an episode of the show this week.

"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," Springhill CEO Maverick Carter said in a statement to ESPN's Andscape. "Unfortunately, he used 'The Shop' to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."

West posted a highly offensive tweet referencing the Jewish community, referencing the defense readiness alert used by the U.S. armed forces, last Saturday.

"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," the rapper wrote in the now-deleted post.

A message on West's page in place of the tweet shows Twitter removed the tweet, saying it violated the company's rules.

"We have made the decision not to air this episode or any of Kanye's remarks. 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," Carter told Andscape.

West had his Instagram account restricted over a post many viewed as antisemitic.

"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," Carter added.

"The Shop: Uninterrupted" is an unscripted series produced by Los Angeles Laker LeBron James and Carter.

According to Andscape, James was not at the taping of West's episode.

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