Kanye West: Madame Tussauds removes Ye wax figure after antisemitism controversy

Madame Tussauds has removed the wax figure from public view. Credit: PA

Madame Tussauds has removed its wax figure of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, from public view after he made a series of controversial and antisemitic comments.

The model of the US rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, has been moved to an archive by the museum.

Several companies includes sportswear giant Adidas have ended their lucrative partnerships with West, knocking him off the Forbes billionaire list.

A spokeswoman for Madame Tussauds London said: "Ye’s figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive.

"Each profile earns their place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction."

On Monday, four people were arrested at Madam Tussauds after Just Stop Oil protesters threw cake at the waxwork of King Charles.

The wax museum's Ye figure was originally launched in the museum in 2015, alongside a waxwork of his then wife Kim Kardashian.

Earlier in October, West published an antisemitic post on social media which resulted in his Facebook and Instagram accounts being restricted.

He then vented against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Twitter, following the outburst with a string of antisemitic comments.

West had been ranked earlier this year at number 1,513 on the Forbes rich list, valued at $2 billion (£1.5bn) due to his own fashion brand empire and deal with Adidas.

On Tuesday, the German sportswear multinational said it was ending production of the Yeezy, a fashion collaboration with West, due to the rapper’s antisemitic remarks.

Forbes now estimates that West’s value is £400 million (£349m) – stemming from "real estate, cash, his music catalogue, and a 5% stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear firm, Skims".

Talent agency CAA announced it has dropped West, while the Balenciaga fashion house has also reportedly cut ties with the 45-year-old.

A completed documentary about West has also been shelved.

Four protesters were arrested after throwing cake at the waxwork of the King. Credit: PA

He had been criticised earlier this month for wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt to the showing of his latest collection at Paris Fashion Week.

In the past few days, his ex-wife Kardashian, 42, and members of her family have called for an end to the "terrible violence and hateful rhetoric" towards the Jewish community.

Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek also told news agency Reuters that West’s comments were "awful" but that his music would stay on the platform.

Ek added that it would be the decision of the rapper’s label, Universal Music’s Def Jam label, to pull the content if they were compelled to.

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