READ THIS NEXT: 5 Warnings to Shoppers From Former T.J. Maxx Employees. The rapper Ye, previously known as Kanye West, was once revered for his music, but he’s found himself in hot water. Controversy is nothing new for Ye; earlier in October, he caused a stir when sporting a shirt that read “White Lives Matter,” The Hill reported. Even more recently, the rapper made antisemitic comments, leading to his Instagram account being locked. When additional offensive statements were posted on Twitter, his account was suspended there as well. In unaired clips from an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Ye also “repeated several antisemitic conspiracy theories,” per The Hill. The outlet added that the rapper issued an apology during an interview with Piers Morgan, but then continued to speak on antisemitic conspiracy theories. Now, the rapper appears to be paying the price. Ye’s apparel line, Yeezy, which includes clothing and footwear as part of Ye’s partnership with sportswear company Adidas, were among the different items available at T.J. Maxx. But now, if you’re looking to score a pair of these trendy items at T.J. Maxx’s discounted prices, you’d be out of luck. As a result of Ye’s statements, on Oct. 26, TJX Companies confirmed to CNNBusiness that they would be discontinuing the products in stores. “At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind,” the company said in a statement emailed to Best Life. “We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.” RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. While T.J. Maxx is the latest to join the boycott of Yeezy products, it’s not the first. In September, Gap ended its partnership with Ye, but had plans to continue selling merchandise through the beginning of 2023, Bloomberg reported. Following the latest controversy, Gap is now removing all Yeezy products and shutting down its YeezyGap.com website. Foot Locker also pulled products, but perhaps the biggest move was made by Ye’s brand partner, Adidas, which announced on Oct. 25 that it would no longer work with the rapper.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” the company said in a press release. “After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies,” the company added. “Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.” According to CNBC, the partnership between Adidas and Ye dates back to 2016, and the German-based company started working with Ye as early as 2013. On Oct. 6, Adidas began reviewing its partnership, the outlet reported, but before cutting ties, anti-racism groups, social media users, and legal entities criticized the brand for its lagging response time. During an Oct. 16 podcast, Ye claimed that “Adidas can’t drop me,” even in response to his comments, CNBC reported. However, this appears to be a false claim, and with Adidas cutting ties, Forbes reported that Ye cost himself his billionaire status. Adidas is also expecting the terminated partnership to result in net income losses of roughly $251 million (€250 million) for 2022. But that doesn’t mean Yeezy itself will be gone for good. Without Ye as a part of the brand, Adidas may continue to produce Yeezy-style products. CNNBusiness pointed to the final line in the retailer’s press release, which states that Adidas “is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership.” The contract between Ye and Adidas isn’t public, but Sharina Ankhi-Krol, New York City fashion lawyer, told CNNBusiness that Adidas will own design rights, “even though Kanye is the owner of the trademark of his brand.” This means that Adidas may rebrand existing Yeezy shoe designs. The brand confirmed that additional information will be announced on Nov. 9.
