Sharon Osbourne says she wants her massive donation to the Black Lives Matter movement back.
The former reality star, 69, says she donated $900,000 (£807,000) to the anti-racism movement but now wants her money back after Kanye West called it a ‘scam’ in a recent social media post.
Sharon – who is married to rocker Ozzy Osbourne and whose daughter Kelly is expecting her first child – said she doesn’t understand the intricacies around Kanye’s anger but believes him that the movement is a scam.
She made the comments in a recent on-the-spot interview with TMZ where she was questioned about Kanye’s controversial ‘White Lives Matter’ top.
‘I don’t understand why white lives don’t matter,’ the British star said.
‘I don’t understand it. It’s not my thing, it’s not my culture. I don’t understand any of it. Everybody’s lives matter, don’t they?’
When asked if she agreed with Kanye that BLM is a ‘scam,’ she said: ‘We gave $900,000 dollars to that and I’d like my money back!
‘I wish he would have said that before,’ she laughed.
Sharon said she doesn’t quite understand Kanye’s point but added: ‘You can’t stop people living their lives, doing what they do. Don’t go to his social media, don’t listen to his music, leave the guy alone.’
Black Lives Matter is a political and social movement that aims to highlight examples of racism and racial inequality experienced by Black people, which came to international notice following the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Rapper Kanye caused controversy when he wore White Lives Matter jumpers at a recent fashion show in Paris, and later responded to criticism with an inflammatory post on social media.
Posting on Instagram, Kanye said: ‘Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam. Now it’s over. You’re welcome.’
The Yeezy star, 45, sparked a response from the movement who issued a statement calling Kanye’s jumpers a ‘stunt.’
“All Lives Matter” and “White Lives Matter” have long served as violent retorts to the Black Lives Matter movement, used by white supremacists and hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan,’ they wrote.
The organisation described the incident as a ‘teachable moment’ and said they hoped to educate Kanye and others who believe in the ‘White Lives Matter’ ideology.
Kanye’s partnership with Adidas is now ‘under review’ following the controversy, with the company saying in a statement: ‘The adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history.
‘We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with Ye and the iconic products that were born from it. We also recognise that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values.
It continued: ‘After repeated efforts to resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review.
‘We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period.’
In response to the statement, Kanye wrote on Instagram: ‘F*******K ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS.’
Kanye, who now goes by Ye, has been critical of Adidas in recent months, including publicly claiming the brand did not have his approval for this year’s Yeezy Day.
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