Shopify shuts down Ye website selling swastika shirts

E-commerce platform Shopify on Tuesday shut down an online store belonging to Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, after his website started exclusively selling T-shirts with swastikas.

A spokesperson for Shopify, which processed orders from Ye’s Yeezy.com website, confirmed to NewsNation that it would no longer support the store.

“All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform,” the spokesperson said. “This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them from Shopify.”

As of Tuesday morning, the online store appeared to be offline and was replaced with a message that read, “This store is unavailable.”

During the Super Bowl, Ye aired a commercial in some local markets that directed people to his online store, Yeezy.com. As of early Tuesday, the website had been selling only one item: a $20 white T-shirt bearing a large swastika symbol.

When the ad aired during the Super Bowl, according to Variety, Ye’s website had been selling other products but soon after began only selling the swastika T-shirt.

The latest development comes after Ye released a torrent of antisemitic posts Friday on social platform X, making statements, including, “Im a Nazi”; “I don’t like or trust no Jewish person and this is completely sober with no Hennessy”; “I love Hitler Now what b‑‑‑‑“; “I’m never apologizing for my Jewish comments.”

During the Super Bowl, the controversial rapper posted a series of messages, including a swipe at global superstar Taylor Swift, who was seen singing to rapper Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. The set included Lamar’s hit song “Not Like Us,” which was part of a diss battle between Lamar and Drake last year.

“WHY ARE WE LETTING TAYLOR SWIFT BE SEEN ON TV SINGING A SONG ABOUT TAKING A BLACK MAN DOWN AND ACCUSING OF THINGS THAT CAN TAKE A BLACK MAN DOWN FOR LIFE,” Ye posted. “KENDRICK IS BEING USED BY THESE WHITE PEOPLE AND JEWS AND SO AM I.”

Ye left X later that night, but it was unclear whether X deactivated Ye’s account or whether Ye willingly deleted it. The rapper posted a final message saying he was “logging out of Twitter.”

“I appreciate Elon [Musk] for allowing me to vent,” Ye wrote Sunday, according to screenshots on the platform and multiple media reports. “It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board. It was like an Ayahuasca trip. Love all of you who gave me your energy and attention. To we connect again. Good afternoon and goodnight.”

Topics

Shopify shutters Kanye West's Yeezy website: Selling swastika shirt 'violated our terms'

Shopify shuts down Ye's post-Super Bowl efforts to sell swastika T-shirts on his website, saying the rapper once known as Kanye West 'violated our terms.'
Los Angeles Times - 4h
Shopify takes down Ye website selling swastika shirts after Super Bowl ad

The rapper ran a Super Bowl ad directing viewers to visit Yeezy.com, where it promoted a $20 black t-shirt with a swastika.
CNBC - 4h
Ye’s Website Selling T-Shirts With Swastikas Is Taken Down

A commercial for the shirts aired in some local markets during the Super Bowl, days after the rapper and designer called himself a Nazi on social media. The website was taken down Tuesday.
The New York Times - 5h
Shopify takes down Ye store selling swastika T-shirts

Shopify said Yeezy.com violated its policies by selling a shirt promoted by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, emblazoned with a swastika.
CBS News - 9h
Ye website selling swastika shirts pulled down for violating terms, Shopify says

The website run by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is offline after selling swastika shirts. Shopify, the ecommerce platform, said the site violated its terms of service.
NBC News - 10h
Ye selling T-shirts bearing swastika after placing local Super Bowl ad

Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, used a local TV ad in Los Angeles to direct people to his website, where he is selling T-shirts emblazoned with swastikas.
CBS News - 1d
Ye's website is selling swastika shirts after boosting its profile with Super Bowl ad

The website of rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, used a Super Bowl commercial to send people to his website which is selling T-shirts emblazoned with a swastika.
NBC News - 1d
This week, Trump shut down USAID. Here’s why China is cheering.

The U.S. decision to shut down USAID has been widely criticized as a strategic victory for China, allowing it to expand its economic and political dominance unchecked.
The Hill - 3d
Judge Pauses Elements of Trump Plan to Shut Down U.S.A.I.D.

Judge Carl Nichols temporarily blocked plans to put 2,200 employees on paid leave and recall nearly all agency workers abroad. He also temporarily reinstated 500 workers already on leave.
The New York Times - 3d