Los Angeles: Controversies continue to swirl around American rapper Kanye West. Things have not yet settled between Kanye and the sportswear brand Adidas. A month after Adidas cut ties with Kanye West, a group of former employees sent an open letter to the shoe company alleging it turned a blind eye to bullying and inappropriate behaviour from the rapper, reports ‘People’ magazine.
In a report published by ‘Rolling Stone’, excerpts from the letter were shared, along with detailed recollections of West’s alleged behaviour from former staff members. Many former staffers recalled an obsession with porn, several of them detailing stories where West, 45, would show staffers or job candidates porn on his phone or computer, according to the report.
In addition to showing graphic pictures and videos, the report states that there were allegedly several occasions where West showed staffers – and in one case, a job candidate – intimate photos and videos of his then-wife, Kim Kardashian.
‘People’ further states that during a job interview in 2018, West showed an explicit image of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian to one young creative professional. The rapper allegedly told him, “My wife just sent me this.”
The ‘Rolling Stone’ expose also includes stories of West belittling or bullying staffers – and the open letter to Adidas addresses both the porn and the bullying.
“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,” the letter read, according to ‘Rolling Stone’. “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 alleged letter is titled “The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership.” It also highlights the “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.”
‘Rolling Stone’ references dozens of former staffers throughout the piece – one who recalled “mind games” being played at work – and almost all of them asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation by West or the shoe company. The magazine’s report ends with an excerpt from the letter asking for a public apology to the Yeezy team for West’s “terrorizing behaviour.”
