Former Yeezy staffers say Ye, formerly Kanye West, used bullying, mind games, and showed them vulgar images of Kim Kardashian to exert control over them.
The bombshell allegations were revealed in an open letter to Adidas bosses. The former staffers said Adidas executives were aware of Ye’s “problematic behavior” but “turned their moral compass off,” and ignored his behavior.
“There was no accountability,” says one person. “Difficult moments happened, with executives in the room — VP level or higher — and nothing would be done. You’d still show up to work the next day.”
According to Rolling Stone, on Tuesday night, several former high-ranking members of Ye’s Yeezy team sent a letter to Adidas executives, titled “The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership.”
The letter urged Adidas executives to address “the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created” and “a very sick pattern of predacious behavior toward women” who worked under Ye. The letter, a copy of which was obtained exclusively by Rolling Stone, continues:
“He has, in years past, exploded at women in the room with offensive remarks, and would resort to sexually disturbing references when providing design feedback. This type of response from a brand partner is one that Adidas employees should never be subjected to, nor should Adidas leadership ever tolerate.”
The open letter was sent to Adidas executives after the company terminated Ye’s $500 million partnership.
In response to the letter, Adidas provided a brief statement saying, in part, that the company “will not discuss private conversations, details, or events that lead [sic] to our decision to terminate the Adidas Yeezy partnership and decline to comment on any related speculation.”
Multiple former Yeezy and Adidas staffers say they regret accepting an unwritten rule from Adidas management — that “Kanye is just Kanye.”
The former staffers accuse the company of lacking “responsibility, accountability, and protection that Adidas failed to provide their employees throughout what we experienced as years of verbal abuse, vulgar tirades, and bullying attacks.”
It sounds like the former staffers might be preparing to file a lawsuit against Adidas.
