Charisma Madarang
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Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy David Schwimmer thanked corporate sponsors who have backed out of Wireless Festival following the announcement of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, as a headliner for the 2026 London event. The actor also denounced Ye’s apology for his years of antisemitic ourburts and said his words have not been backed by action.
In a lengthy social media statement posted on Monday, April 6, Schwimmer commended Pepsi, PayPal, and Diageo for their “moral clarity.” (Although not mentioned, Rockstar Energy is also among the brands that have exited the festival.) The actor said, “Unlike Wireless and Festival Republic, they decided not to platform an artist who became one of the most recognizable hate-mongering bigots in the world – while the other orgs seek only to profit from one.”
The departure of high-profile sponsors aligns with a cutting statement from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said it was “deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.”
Schwimmer referenced Ye’s release of the track “Heil Hitler,” sale of shirts with swastikas, and declaration that he was a Nazi, and said the rapper’s apology in a full-page Wall Street Journal ad was “perhaps part of a PR scheme to assuage folks right before his long-planned return to the stage.”
The actor continued, “Remember: Ye’s apologized before, only to retract that apology and double down on his virulent hatred of Jewish people.” Schwimmer cited Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott, CeeLo Green and Don Toliver — who appeared during Ye’s sold-out shows in Los Angeles last week — and called them “artists who seem to shrug off his history of rabid antisemitism. Or maybe endorse it? Hard to say, since none of them ever publicly denounced his past remarks.”
Schwimmer denounced Ye’s antisemitic outbursts as having caused “irreparable damage” and fueling “world wide hatred and inspired violence against Jews everywhere.” The actor said Ye’s “erratic behavior has repeatedly shown he can’t be trusted,” and that while his “famous pals” may be able to look past his behavior, “the community he has harmed most has no reason to trust his apology is authentic.”
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He argued that if the Ye’s apology was “sincere,” then the artist would remove the song “Heil Hitler” and publicly disavow it, meet with Jewish leaders and artists to make amends, and donate a portion of his earnings from the Wireless fest to charitable Jewish organizations in the U.K.
“An apology letter is just that: Words on paper,” said Schwimmer. “I believe in forgiveness, but it takes much more than this. Then again, I do not profit from his appearing at Wireless.” Schwimmer ended his note by calling on Budweiser, Beat Box Beverages, Drip Water, and Big Green Coach to pull their sponsorships from the U.K. festival.
