Adidas is investigating claims that rapper Kanye West bullied employees during their partnership, including forcing them to watch pornography.
Adidas said it launched the probe after receiving an anonymous letter about the allegations against West, who has legally changed his name to Ye and formerly had a lucrative partnership with the company to sell his Yeezy sneaker brand.
In the letter, they said bosses were aware of West’s “problematic behaviour” but “turned their moral compass off”.
“It is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true,” a spokesperson for the company said. “However, we take these allegations very seriously and have taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations.”
West, who was dropped by the company last month after he posted antisemitic comments, has not responded to the story.
The letter alleges Ye forced employees who worked on the Yeezy team to watch porn videos, look at sexually explicit photos of his wife Kim Kardashian (who has filed for divorce) and even view Ye’s own sex tapes.
Staff members complained to Adidas about “the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created” and “a very sick pattern of predacious behaviour toward women” who worked for him under the partnership.
Adidas cut ties with Ye after the rapper made a round of antisemitic comments last month. Ye lost his billionaire status after Adidas axed the partnership.
