Ari Emanuel condemns Kanye West, GOP, conspiracy theories and “normalization of white supremacy, anti-Semitism and racism” in America

Ari Emanuel returned to his hometown today to denounce “the virus of anti-Semitism, hatred and division” that is “spreading and attacking the foundations of our culture”.

In an opinion piece for the Chicago Tribune, the Windy City-born CEO of Endeavor, called out the “caricature Kanye clown show,” Dave Chappelle, the Republican Party and Donald Trump for “normalizing white supremacy, anti-Semitism and racism” in the American society. “Over the past year we have seen anti-Semitic conspiracies become mainstream from the extreme right about Jewish control of politics, finance and Hollywood,” the former agent told the ex-agent.famous apprentice host wrote (see full opinion below)

“So yes, keep the bigger picture in mind – condemn the cartoonish anti-Semitism and racism and hate, of course, but also condemn more subtle and insidious forms of conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact,” Emanuel concluded in the statement. edit

Today’s article from the shrewd executive who exposed a drunken anti-Semitic slur by future WME client Mel Gibson in 2006 follows a financial times open-end Emanuel wrote in October calling on agencies, companies and sponsors to cut ties with Kanye West after the man, now legally known as Ye, launched a vicious anti-Semitic smear campaign on social media. “Those who continue to do business with West are paying lip service to his misplaced hatred,” Emanual said in the FT Share.” West’s anti-Semitism must not be tolerated anywhere.”

That was, of course, before former CAA client West took to Alex Jones’ InfoWars earlier this month to praise Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

Soon after, West tweeted an image of a swastika in a Star of David on Elon Musk’s Twitter — a move that even prompted the GOP to remove a long-posted tweet praising West, Trump and Musk.

West’s ongoing hate speech sparked widespread condemnation, prompting Musk to freeze West’s feed on the social media platform. Musk, who in recent weeks has brought back the accounts of previously suspended figures like Trump, said he was doing “my best” with his old friend West. “Nevertheless, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. The account will be suspended,” the often random billionaire added.

Earlier, on Nov. 22, West brought white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes to the ex-POTUS’ Mar-a-Lago estate for dinner with Trump.

Amid the aftermath of the three breaking bread together, Trump aides claimed their boss had no idea who Fuentes was or whether he even stopped by for dinner. But after recently officially announcing his 2024 bid to return to the White House, QAnon notes that Trump hasn’t given up on Fuentes or West yet. In fact, Trump, who said he had no idea who Fuentes was, renewed his demand that American Jewish leaders should be ashamed of not showing him enough recognition and loyalty.

Deadline reached out to Endeavor for further comment from Emanuel. A spokesperson for Endeavor responded that Emanuel’s perspective was reflected in the comments.

Read Ari Emanuel’s comment in the Chicago Tribune here:

Kanye West is not the big deal. Of course praising Hitler is despicable. And it’s easy to judge – and get distracted. And what the cartoonish Kanye clown show distracts us from is what’s going on under the big top – how the virus of anti-Semitism, hatred and division is spreading and attacking the very foundations of our culture.

In the past year we have seen anti-Semitic conspiracies become mainstream from the extreme right about Jewish control of politics, finance and Hollywood. David Chapelle Saturday night live The monologue was funny, but the problem with dancing the line of anti-Semitic tropes is that he did it for an audience that no longer has a shared understanding of how dangerous they are. I’m sure many found it funny. This no doubt gave others permission to repeat their own versions of the trope in the future. Every time someone like Kanye goes too far, the anti-Semitic Overton window slides. And little by little the rule of what is acceptable to say is moving.

It wasn’t until Kanye praised Hitler that the official Twitter account of the Republican House Judiciary Committee deleted the tweet that read: “Kanye, deleted. Elon. Trump.” The tweet has been online since October 6. As writer Peter Beinart put it on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show The last word, “Anti-Semitism is not disqualifying. Only genocidal anti-Semitism – it sets the bar for today.”

For today. It’s up to all of us to stop seeing silence as an acceptable option — not just for cartoonish praise of Hitler, but for more insidious, tongue-in-cheek, whistling forms of hatred directed at any group is directed. LeBron James addressed the double standard in his Nov. 30 postgame press conference when asked to comment. He asked reporters why he was repeatedly pressed about the Kyrie Irving controversy (which LeBron commented on), but no one was asked about the 1957 photo published in the Washington Post last month. , in which Jerry Jones confronts black students in a group of teenagers at a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

James is absolutely right. We all need to speak out — about the hateful racism unfolding in the photo, about Kyrie, about West, about Trump, and about the normalization of white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and racism.

As the New York Times reported on December 2nd, data from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the Anti-Defamation League and social media watchdog groups shows an increase in posts that are anti-Semitic, racist or homophobic.

As the Trump years have shown, things can be shocking without surprising. As Yair Rosenberg argues in The Atlantic, the hateful writing has been on the wall since Trump descended the escalator in 2016. writes Rosenberg. “You just had to see what was in front of you.”

And six years later, there is much more on our faces and around us. As outrageous as West is, what is insidious is that many modern forms of technology and pop culture are exposing a generation of children to age-old, even centuries-old forms of anti-Semitism. Instead of being distracted, show our children a better way. Yes, it’s great that West’s platform for praising Hitler can shrink, but what’s worse is that the conspiracy theory of a cabal of Jews who control politics, finance, medicine and entertainment is taking root.

It has threatened what is arguably one of its goals, dividing two communities — African-American and Jewish-American — historically centered on civil rights. Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman—the young civil rights activists murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi on June 21, 1964—were far from the only examples.

Newly re-elected Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is deeply aware of this shared history. In his victory speech late Tuesday night, Warnock declared Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman, along with Viola Liuzzo and James Reeb, “martyrs of the movement.” And he went on to point to the symbolism of Georgia’s current representation in the Senate. “Georgia, once again – as you did in 2021 when you sent an African-American and a Jew into the Senate at once – you are sending a clear message to the country about the kind of world we want for our children . “, he said.

But as recent years have made clear, such a world is by no means guaranteed. As the old saying goes, history doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes.

So yes, keep the bigger picture in mind – condemn cartoonist anti-Semitism and racism and hate, of course, but also condemn more subtle and insidious forms of conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact.