The Drink Champs podcast has deleted its recent interview with Kanye West in light of the rapper’s controversial comments on the murder of George Floyd. The interview can no longer be streamed via the podcast’s Youtube channel or via the official website of its parent company, Revolt TV
The removal of the podcast episode comes after Drink Champs host N.O.R.E made a formal apology for the content in the episode. Speaking with Hot97’s Pete Rosenberg, N.O.R.E said, “I have a relationship with Ye. When he was going through a lot of the things he was going through, he would call me and he would actually listen to me and take my advice. So, I felt [like] I could control the situation. I felt that I could control the interview, and [I] learned early on that I didn’t.”
In the interview, West claimed that George Floyd had been killed not by police officers but by the drug fentanyl. “If you look [at the video], the guy’s [police officer Derek Chauvin] knee wasn’t even on [Floyd’s] neck like that,” West said. The Floyd family is currently considering filing a lawsuit against Ye in light of his comments.
The rapper went on to claim that the “Jewish media blocked [him] out” and that JP Morgan “treated [him] like shit” after deciding to cut ties. The first comment is the latest example of the antisemitism that got Kanye banned from social media.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Silverman, Diane Wilson, Jack Antonoff, John Legend, and David Schwimmer have all condemned West for his comments, with Schwimmer arguing that his mental health issues do not excuse his actions. “Whether or not Kanye West is mentally ill, there’s no question he is a bigot,” Schwimmer stated.
The actor went on to note: “His hate speech calls for violence against Jews. If you interpret his words any other way and defend him, guess what? You are racist. If we don’t call someone as influential as Kanye out for his divisive, ignorant and anti-Semitic words then we are complicit. Silence is complicity.”
