After claiming that his recent show at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on May 30 was the biggest performance in the venue’s history, Ye is once again facing booking backlash for his many past antisemitic statements.
According to Tampa’s WFLA, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott published a letter to the Tampa Sport Authority on Thursday (June 4), asking the operator of Raymond James Stadium to reconsider a pair of upcoming shows at the venue that is home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in light of the rapper’s extensive history of praising Nazis and Holocaust mastermind Adolph Hitler.
“Kanye West’s consistent antisemitic attacks are an affront to the values of the people of the Hillsborough community,” Scott wrote of the many past antisemitic comments by Ye, including the MC selling T-shirts with swastikas on them; Ye has since repeatedly apologized for his offensive remarks, claiming in a full page Wall Street Journal ad earlier this year that his “reckless behavior” was caused by a brain injury suffered in a 2002 car crash. “He has openly praised Nazis, called himself one, and slandered Jews across the world. Kanye West also funded a Superbowl ad in 2025 that directed viewers to purchase merchandise featuring swastikas,” the Senator said.
Scott added, “West’s remarks are vile and a slap in the face to our state’s Jewish community. It is troubling that a stadium supported by taxpayer dollars would openly subsidize an event led by an artist known for pushing this dangerous, hateful rhetoric, especially with Florida having one of the largest Jewish populations in our country.”
The comments came a few days after Scott first addressed the situation in an X post in which he wrote, “Kanye West’s repeated antisemitic remarks are vile and unacceptable. Antisemitism is plaguing this country and he has been a big part of the problem for years. He doesn’t deserve a stage to spread his hate anywhere, especially Florida.”
Ye booked a June 26 date in Tampa and then added a second show on June 29, with Scott encouraging the Tampa Sports Authority to “carefully review this decision,” offering his office’s assistance in reconsidering the shows. The TSA issued a statement in response, writing, “We recognize the concerns and viewpoints being expressed about the upcoming events at Raymond James Stadium. As a public agency, we follow the principles of free speech in operating our venue, although we do not condone remarks or actions from any artists that are offensive and divisive.”
West had been planning to take his massive globe-shaped stage around the world this year, but has been thwarted in London, Poland and France, where his planned shows were also pulled over his past anti-Jewish hate speech; he’s successfully pulled off multiple-night stands in Mexico City and Los Angeles (as well as the aforementioned show in Turkey) and is slated to take the stage at Gelredome in Arnhem, Netherlands on Saturday (June 6).
