Rapper Kanye West holds his first rally in support of his US presidential bid in North Charleston, South Carolina, US, July 19, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Randall Hill

Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden has apologized for suggesting that rapper and fashion designer Kanye West, who now legally goes by the name Ye, did not mean the antisemitic comments he made last year.

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) chief Jonathan Greenblatt wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday that he spoke with Gulden, who apologized for his “misstatement” and “reiterated that Adidas is committed to fighting #antisemitism & is completely opposed to the ugly hate expressed by @kanyewest.”

On an episode of the Norwegian podcast In Good Company last week, Gulden appeared to defend Ye, a former longtime business partner of the German sportswear company who made a series of antisemitic comments against Jews last year.

“As creative people [do], he did some statements, which wasn’t that good,” Gulden said. “Very unfortunate, because I don’t think he meant what he said, and I don’t think he’s a bad person. It just came across that way. And that meant we lost that business, one of the most successful collabs in the history. Very sad.”

Gulden became CEO of Adidas in January, months after the sportswear company terminated its partnership with Ye and his Yeezy brand of footwear, apparel, and accessories in October because of the rapper’s antisemitic remarks. Adidas — whose German founders were members of the Nazi Party — said at the time that it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.” It added: “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness.”

In a statement to the Associated Press on Thursday, Adidas confirmed the company had been in touch with the ADL, a civil rights group, and said it stands by its decision to stop working with Ye.

“Our decision to end our partnership with Ye because of his unacceptable comments and behavior was absolutely the right one,” Adidas said. “Our stance has not changed: Hate of any kind has no place in sports or society, and we remain committed to fighting it.”

Before Gulden’s apology, Jewish groups and activists lambasted him for seemingly defending Ye in the podcast interview and not condemning the rapper’s comments from last year, which included him threatening to go “Death Con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Earlier on Thursday, American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch accused Gulden of “downplaying Kanye’s tirade against Jews,” and called on him to “set the record” straight and prove that Adidas is committed to fighting antisemitism, which he said “can NEVER be rationalized.”

When Adidas  began selling over the summer its remaining inventory of Yeezy products, it pledged to donate a “significant amount” of proceeds to groups that combat discrimination, hate, racism, and antisemitism — including the ADL.

Ye announced in March that he no longer hates Jews after watching Jewish actor Jonah Hill star in the movie 21 Jump Street.