Kanye West Calls Out Celebrities' Silence Amid Balenciaga Controversy

Kanye West has joined the list of celebrities who have called out Balenciaga after its controversial ad campaign featuring kids holding BDSM-themed teddy bears. The rapper, along with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, is one of the luxury brand's biggest supporters and collaborators.

Paparazzi asked West about his reaction to the issue after church on Saturday, November 26. There, the controversial personality called on his fellow celebrities to "denounce" Balenciaga, which had already cut ties with him after his anti-Semitic remarks in October.

The hip-hop artist told TMZ that their silence showed they were all controlled as no one talked about the situation. He then advised everyone not to let "all of these celebrities" influence them in any way, as they were controlled by the people who really influenced the world.

"They're not serving God," he continued.

A day after West's interview, Kardashian finally broke her silence after being called out for her silence. "The Kardashians" star is known for starring in Balenciaga ad campaigns and almost exclusively wearing its designs.

In a post on Twitter on Sunday, November 27, she admitted to being silent for the past few days, but it didn't mean she wasn't disgusted and outraged by the offending ad. She wanted to initially speak to their team to understand how such a thing could have happened.

As a mother herself, she, too, had been shaken by the campaign's disturbing images, stressing that children's saftey must be held with the "highest regard." She also stated that any attempts to normalize child abuse should have no place in society.

After an hour, Kardashian added an addendum about her partnership with the label, revealing she was re-evaluating her relationship with the brand. She continued that she would base her decision on their willingness to "accept accountability for something that should have never happened" and the actions she expected them to take to protect children.

Meanwhile, Balenciaga issued another apology for the BDSM-themed ads on Instagram Monday, November 28. It said it strongly condemned child abuse and never intended to include kids in its narrative.

It apologized for wrongly choosing children as its model for its bondage-style bear bags and for including a page printed with a Supreme Court ruling about child pornography in the background of one of its ads for spring 2023.

It admitted that the two separate ad campaigns reflected a series of "grievous errors," for which it took responsibility

Bella Hadid is yet to address the issue despite recently starring in a Balenciaga campaign. However, she deleted her posts about it on Instagram, though Nicole Kidman, who also appeared in the ads, still had her pictures up.