London's Wireless Festival has lost its second major sponsor following the announcement of Kanye West as a headliner, with beverage giant Diageo pulling its support from the event.
While Diageo has not explicitly cited West's involvement as the reason for their withdrawal, the timing has raised significant questions. This move comes just days after Pepsi confirmed it was ending its sponsorship of the festival, directly linking its decision to the controversial artist's booking.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly criticized the festival's choice, calling West's inclusion "deeply concerning" in light of the artist's history of antisemitic remarks and other controversies.
"Even British Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in, calling Ye's involvement 'deeply concerning' given the artist's past antisemitic remarks and other headline-making controversies."
West, who now performs under the name Ye, recently completed a series of comeback shows in Los Angeles that featured surprise appearances from Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott, CeeLo Green, and his daughter North West. Despite the sponsor withdrawals and political criticism, there has been no indication that West plans to cancel his festival appearance.
The dual sponsor exits have placed festival organizers in a challenging position as they attempt to manage the fallout from what has become a polarizing booking decision.