Religion/ Spirituality

Kanye West is doubling down on his support for Kyrie Irving ... sharing a pic of the NBA star as they both find themselves embroiled in controversy over pushing antisemitic rhetoric.

The Brooklyn Nets guard released a statement denouncing "all forms of hate and oppression" and vowed to make a $500k donation to fight for the cause on Wednesday ... after facing a ton of backlash for posting a link to a movie that is filled with hurtful beliefs toward the Jewish community.

While KI took responsibility for his actions ... but did not flat-out say "I'm sorry" or "I apologize."

Just six hours later, Ye went to his Twitter account and posted a black and white image of Kyrie to his 31.7 million followers ... seemingly backing the athlete for the second time in three days.

Ye previously backed Irving on Sunday ... posting a different black-and-white image of him and saying, "There's some real ones still here."

Former NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire -- who converted to Judaism in 2020 -- wants Kyrie Irving to own up to his actions and apologize for tweeting out a link to a movie filled with antisemitic rhetoric ... saying the Brooklyn Nets guard made a mistake.

STAT addressed the controversy surrounding Irving on ESPN’s "Get Up" Wednesday morning ... saying, "You have to give an apology because if you’re going to promote a documentary that has false allegations inside of it, and you may not understand that these allegations that’s inside the documentary are false, okay, you made a mistake, right? So apologize for it."

39-year-old Stoudemire says Kyrie created a problem by not expressing any regret over the situation ... and is giving the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver no choice but to look into it.

"I think something has to happen, intensive conversations with the commissioner about what he’s doing and what his plans are as a basketball player."

As for whether Kyrie should be suspended over the whole ordeal, Amar'e -- who previously served as an assistant for the Nets -- is on the fence.

"I mean, Kyrie’s a guy who’s trying to find himself," he added. "He’s always on this quest for learning and information. And if you’re not totally understanding what you’re learning and what you’re trying to promote, then just don’t promote it. Just learn quietly and try to figure it out."

"But once you start putting information out there that’s not true, then now it creates a problem."

Amar'e has gone after Irving in the past ... saying the guard's decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine affected the team's chemistry.

Irving has been at the center of criticism for how he's handled the backlash ... with both Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal calling him an "idiot" on TNT's "Inside The NBA."

Nike -- Kyrie's biggest sponsor -- released a statement regarding the matter ... denouncing hate speech of any kind.

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Swoosh said on Tuesday.

TMZ Sports spoke with Amar'e about antisemitism back in 2020 ... when the six-time All-Star told us he wanted to "bridge the gap" between Black and Jewish people after comments made by Nick Cannon and NFLer DeSean Jackson -- for which they apologized.

Charles Barkley says the NBA flubbed its handling of the most recent Kyrie Irving drama ... explaining Tuesday night he believes the league should've suspended the Nets star over his controversial tweet.

Barkley didn't mince words while talking about the situation on "Inside the NBA" -- calling Irving an "idiot" ... and blasting the Association for not dropping the hammer on the point guard.

"I think Adam [Silver] should have suspended him," Barkley said. "First of all, Adam is Jewish -- you can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion. You gonna insult me, you have the right, but I have the right to say, ‘You can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion.'"

"I think the NBA, they made a mistake."

Of course, Silver did not level punishment on Irving ... despite the basketball player tweeting out a link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," a movie packed with antisemitic rhetoric.

Irving never apologized for sharing it ... and, in fact, two days after sending the tweet, he got into a tiff with a reporter who had suggested he had been "promoting" the film on his platform.

Irving did, though, eventually take down the tweet. He also said in a separate tweet he is not antisemitic.

But, Barkley's co-host, Shaq, had issues with it all as well ... calling Irving an "idiot" too.

Meanwhile, during TNT's broadcast of the Nets vs. Bulls game ... Reggie Miller, who was commentating the game, said he was disappointed there was not a vocal outcry from players in the league over it all.

Several fans had a strong message for the Brooklyn Nets amid Kyrie Irving's backlash for posting about an antisemitic movie on social media -- donning yarmulkes and "fight antisemitism" shirts while sitting courtside at the game.

The group sat near the Indiana bench during the Pacers vs. Nets matchup in Brooklyn ... and Kyrie reportedly acknowledged them by making a thumbs-up gesture.

One of the fans claims Irving spoke to them during the contest ... saying he was "grateful for you guys," although they felt it was in a sarcastic tone, according to the New York Post.

The fan said the shirts were a message for the Nets ... adding the team should cut ties with Irving.

The move comes on the heels of Kyrie's decision to tweet out a link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," a movie that has been accused of being filled with stereotypes and tropes.

Kyrie defended the move ... saying he "meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs."

"The 'Anti-Semitic' label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday," he added. "I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions."

Joe Tsai -- the owner of the Nets -- spoke out against Irving's post ... saying he was disappointed in the superstar's decision to share the project.

Tsai also said he wanted to meet with Irving to help him understand why his actions were hurtful.

Kanye West -- who is also facing his own backlash -- commented on Kyrie's actions ... calling him a "real one."

As for the game, the Nets won 116-109 ... with Irving earning 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

He did not speak with the media after the contest.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft sponsored an ad Sunday ... asking people watching NFL games to "stand up to Jewish hate" in the wake of Kanye West's antisemitic comments.

The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) released the 30-second ad during the first quarter of the Patriots-Jets game ... "calling attention to the concerning rise of antisemitism."

The org. -- which Kraft founded intending to forge positive relationships with Jews and non-Jews -- expressed in the commercial that they need more people to condemn antisemitism.

"With the recent rise in conversations about antisemitism on social media, FCAS launched #StandUpToJewishHate, encouraging Jews and non-Jews alike to speak out against hatred and stand with the Jewish community," the org.'s website read.

The timing of Kraft's ad was strategic ... and comes as Kanye continues to face backlash over the antisemitic remarks he's repeatedly made in interviews.

Kanye has seen several high-profile companies part ways with him -- such as Adidas and Balenciaga. Pro athletes Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown also left his sports agency.

Ye isn't the only celeb who's found himself in hot water -- over the weekend, Kyrie Irving was involved in a heated spat with a reporter about a controversial movie he shared on Twitter.

Irving tweeted a link to a film on Amazon called ... "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," which claims to expose who the real "chosen people of God" are.

Nets owner Joe Tsai publicly criticized the Nets' superstar point guard ... and condemned him for promoting the movie on his platform.

Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes are takin' each other to church as they both take self-described mental health breaks ... which upended their individual tours.

The pop singers, who have a ton in common, worshipped together Wednesday night at Churchome in Bev Hills. It's unclear if they sang inside -- Justin has in the past -- but we're sure there wouldn't be any pushback from the congregation if they did.

After the church service wrapped up, Shawn hopped into Justin's ride and they left the church together.

As we've reported ... Shawn canceled his world tour back in July, telling fans "It has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger."

JB did the same a few months later ... announcing he was postponing his Justice World Tour and saying, "The exhaustion overtook me and I realize that I need to make my health the priority right now."

Both 20-something Canadian pop stars seem to be leaning into their faith to get 'em through this rough patch. We know their fans are praying they get well, and return to the road when they're ready.

The star players on Kanye West's Donda Academy basketball team will not be able to showcase their talents on one of H.S. hoops' biggest stages this year ... and it's all because of Ye's controversial antisemitic comments.

The Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics announced Donda has been scrapped from this season's schedule ... claiming West's "words and actions violate our values as a company and a country, and what we seek to ensure at all of our events -- a spirit of diversity, sportsmanship, inclusion, equity and mutual respect."

The tournament -- which has five national locations -- is a huge deal at the high school level ... and has hosted future NBA superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant in the past.

Donda was originally slated to compete at the December 11 event in Louisville.

It's a huge bummer for the whole roster of kids -- including five-star guards Robert Dillingham (who's committed to Kentucky) and AJ Johnson ... as well as the other players on the squad who are also ranked nationally.

Scholastic Play-By-Play feels for the young athletes ... adding, "While we are firm in our reasoning for this decision, it does not diminish our heartache and regret for Donda's hardworking athletes who will lose out the most as a result of Kanye's actions."

"Unfortunately, we cannot in good conscience host an organization founded and directed by Mr. West at our events."

B.o.B is finally responding to the 2016 flat-earth controversy that threw his career out of orbit ... and he's still, rather defiantly, dropping a diss-fueled track titled "Ted Talk."

B.o.B. tells TMZ Hip Hop the 6+ years since he released his viral song "Flatline" has rattled his perspective a bit, leading to more confusion.

Naturally, we asked if he still believes the Earth is flat, and he said ... "I've heard so many theories at this point from all the people that have come my way I don't know what to believe anymore.

"Neil Tyson said it’s an oval, let’s just go with that for now"

The new song-video mashup finds B.o.B's alter-ego Bobby Ray giving himself a tongue-lashing as they tackle the flat-earth fallout ... which mirrors the wackiness of a sci-fi thriller with twists and turns.

Bobby Ray questions throwing away their career to prove a point and should have left all the conspiracies to YouTuber Eric Dubay ... something everyone can probably agree on in hindsight.

The track includes B.o.B's admission he fumbled the bag turning down 2 offers from CBS -- one to appear on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" to explain his antics and another to have his own series.

Let B.o.B tell it, the whole plot was created by the media to take him down ... calling out Comedy Central and Complex after they allowed scientists Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye to slice and dice him online.

He even says NASA started attending his concerts to pass out pamphlets containing accurate information -- and he really pissed off The Root when he stated he'd never seen a slave ship in his lifetime.

He also still has bitter bars for Charlamagne Tha God and Lil Duval for their viral reactions to his flat-earth comments, and unlike Kanye West, laments being called an anti-Semite after saying he identified with the rants of Holocaust conspiracy theorist David Irving.

Kanye West's antisemitic remarks have already sparked one radical group to show face -- but what may come next is of even more dire concern for the Jewish people ... so says one man who advocates for the community.

Ivan Wolkind -- an exec of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles -- came on 'TMZ Live' Monday to explain the ripple effect Ye's words are already having ... and where it could lead from here, potentially resulting in real-world violence.

He says the freeway signs and mailed flyers that made the rounds this weekend are just the first of possibly more steps that he fears will be escalating in nature the more people start to see this as normal ... especially with someone as famous as Kanye leading the charge.

Wolkind also tells us that, unfortunately, he and his org have already started to issue warnings to Jewish people and Jewish institutions in and around L.A. as it pertains to keeping an eye out for troubling behavior that could signal imminent danger or threats.

Kim Kardashian is joining members of her family and millions of others in condemning hate against the Jewish community ... coming on the heels of Kanye West's antisemitic words sparking controversy across the country.

Kim just posted on social media ... writing, "Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end."

Of course, the comments come just days after Kanye's "death con 3" comments towards Jewish people ... something that's cost him a number of job opportunities.

As we reported, Kim met with Ivanka Trump for a 3-hour dinner in Beverly Hills Sunday night. An insider at the restaurant told us Kim shared how deeply concerned she's been about Kanye's recent antisemitic statements.

What's more, a rally in L.A. Saturday supported the rapper's comments, with members of the group throwing up Nazi salutes at passing drivers.

Khloe Kardashian is publicly sending her support to the Jewish community amid Kanye West's continued antisemitic rants ... becoming the first to do so in her family.

The youngest of the OG 3 sisters reposted a simple statement which reads ... "I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people." Pretty straightforward, but powerful at the same time -- especially since it's her ex-brother-in-law fueling the hate against Jewish people.

Her remark comes as Ye's bigotry sparks rallies in his name with neo-Nazis coming out of the woodwork in all sorts of forms throughout Los Angeles.

None of the other Kardashians, Kim included, have spoken up about the issue so far ... instead, it seems like they're just giving Kanye the silent treatment.

Khloe might be the first KarJenner to pipe up, but she's certainly not the first A-lister in general to say something about the wave of antisemitism.

Sofia Richie, Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Aniston and several others reposted the same message Khloe did, but also expressed their horror and anger over the images of that Nazi rally over L.A.'s 405 freeway.

For his part, Kanye continues to get further and further isolated -- both professionally and socially -- but his biggest business partner, Adidas, is feeling the heat the most right now.

They've remained silent throughout this whole mess.

Kanye West has just had one of his most important relationships in the fashion world ended ... Balenciaga has reportedly cut ties with Ye.

According to Women's Wear Daily, Kering, the French fashion house parent company to Balenciaga has released a statement saying, "Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist."

While the statement did not expand further, you have to imagine the decision was made after Kanye's repeated antisemitic attacks and controversies over the past few months.

Kanye and Balenciaga have a long history, and most recently partnered for a Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection that sold like wildfire.

Kanye also opened Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show, walking the runway -- and generating a ton of attention for the brand.

Of course, Kanye still has a multi-billion-dollar deal with Adidas -- a partnership the brand has reportedly said was "under review."

Ari Emanuel, CEO of William Morris Endeavor, has some stern advice for any companies still doing business with Kanye West ... telling them to back out of their deals following his antisemitic comments.

Emanuel issued the warning in an op-ed posted by the Financial Times Wednesday ... urging companies associated with Kanye to stop working with him -- including streaming services like Apple and Spotify that have his music available on their platforms.

He even points to Parler -- a conservative-leaning social media app that the rapper is planning to purchase ... telling them to refuse the sale.

Emanuel talks about Kanye's impact on society, writing "He is a pop culture icon with millions of fans around the world ... and among them are young people whose views are still being formed. This is why it is necessary for all of us to speak out. Hatred and antisemitism should have no place in our society, no matter how much money is at stake.”

Howard Stern is ripping Kanye West apart ... comparing him to Adolf Hitler while calling the rapper and his fans out for using mental health as an excuse for his racist outbursts.

Howard didn't hold back on the latest episode of his SiriusXM radio show ... referring to Kanye's recent interview with Chris Cuomo -- saying "you gotta hear the s*** this guy's into".

The host was hesitant about giving any more energy to the rapper ... but draws a shocking -- and ironic -- comparison, saying "Kanye used to be fun crazy. Now he’s like Hitler."

He then poses this idea to Kanye -- "If a newspaper article doesn’t point out the fact that you’re some sort of designer or genius, maybe that’s not because they’re Jewish, but maybe because they just don’t put that much thought into who the f*** you are and what your business is."

As we reported, Kanye's been digging a DEEP hole over his antisemitic comments ... telling Piers Morgan his "death con 3" comments towards Jewish people were racist, and meant for it to be taken that way.

Stern also goes after Kanye's defenders who are pointing towards his mental health struggles as an excuse  ... "If he’s so mentally ill, why don’t they appoint a conservator over his money like they did with the poor Britney Spears?”

Ice Cube is denying he's the one who influenced Kanye West's antisemitic thoughts, saying Ye roped him into the whole saga out of nowhere.

Cube's speaking out after Ye name-dropped him in the "Drink Champs" episode, when he said IC "set me up for this" and influenced him to be on this "antisemitic vibe" -- going on to say that he was going "finish the job" ... suggesting Cube laid the groundwork.

Well, the NWA star is distancing himself now ... taking to Twitter to clear up the linkage and writing, "I hate that my name was dragged into this Drunk Champs bull****. I don't know what Ye meant by his statements, you're gonna have to ask him."

He adds, "I didn't put the batteries in his back. Please leave my name out of all the antisemitic talk. I'm not antisemitic and never have been."

We should note ... Cube's been accused of antisemitism before, both from years ago -- when he released "No Vaseline," and referred to Jerry Heller as a "white Jew" and a "devil" that should have a bullet in his "temple" -- as well as bizarre stuff he was posting in 2020.

He's also publicly backed Louis Farrakhan, who's considered a well-known antisemite.

Despite that, he's now saying ... he didn't go out of his way to make Kanye say the things he's been saying lately, and wants his name dissociated from this mess.

Kanye West defies logic ... he says he doesn't wish harm on Jewish people -- despite saying he's "going death con 3" on Jews -- as he seems to be saying Jews in high places in Hollywood have screwed over Black entertainers.

Kanye was leaving the screening of Candace Owens' new doc Wednesday ... the photog asked about the film, and Kanye seemed stunned he wasn't asked about his antisemitic remarks right out of the box.

Ye makes it clear ... his comments in the last week were thought out and intentional. He seems to have personal grievances with Jews who run entertainment companies that he says have wronged him and other Black entertainers. What he doesn't explain ... is he raising the issue because he thinks the execs who did him wrong did so because they're Jewish?