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Pepsi and Diageo have cut ties with Wireless Festival following mounting backlash over headliner Kanye West, after PM Keir Starmer called the booking ‘deeply concerning’
Everything we know as Wireless Festival sponsors pull out over Kanye West booking
- Pepsi has withdrawn its sponsorship of Wireless Festival following mounting backlash over headliner Kanye West’s antisemitic behaviour.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the decision to have the rapper perform ‘deeply concerning’, stating: “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears.”
- Diageo, the company behind Captain Morgan and Johnnie Walker, has also pulled out of sponsoring the festival. A Diageo spokesperson confirmed they “will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival” due to concerns over West’s booking.
- The controversy stems from West’s recent antisemitic remarks, including voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler and releasing a song called “Heil Hitler”. He also advertised Swastika T-shirts on his website.
- Celebrities including Matt Lucas have criticised the festival’s decision to book West. A source said Pepsi’s position became “untenable” following the backlash and Starmer’s intervention.
- West’s appearance marks his return to UK music after an eleven-year hiatus since headlining Glastonbury in 2015. The rapper apologised for his comments in January, blaming his bipolar disorder for a “four-month long, manic episode”.
- READ THE FULL STORY: Kanye West Wireless: Chaos as another sponsor pulls out after Pepsi cut ties
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
