HBO announced [day] that it will not air an episode of LeBron James HBO talk show “The Shop” that features Kanye West after the rapper allegedly promoted “dangerous stereotypes” and engaged in “hate speech” during the taping.
Co-host Maverick Carter addressed the decision of the episode in an exclusive statement to Andscape.
“I believed [West] was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments. Unfortunately, he used ‘The Shop’ to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes.” Carter said. “We have made the decision not to air this episode or any of Kanye’s remarks. While ‘The Shop’ embraces thoughtful discourse and differing opinions, we have zero tolerance for hate speech of any kind and will never allow our channels to be used to promote hate.”
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There’s a lot of irony in this decision. Carter refused to “promote hate,” but James had no trouble defending China’s brutal crackdown on Hong Kong. Maybe that’s because Nike, which gave James a billion-dollar lifetime deal in 2015, makes its shoes in Chinese sweatshops.
Just like James’ China-loving paymasters, the talk show’s production team cracked down on speech they didn’t like. West is loud and boisterous on controversial topics, but to invite him on the show and then suppress what he had to say is wrong. (RELATED: Davante Adams Shoves Man To The Ground After Devastating Loss, Faces Potential Suspension)
Kanye West & Candace Owens wearing White Lives Matter shirts‼️ pic.twitter.com/jCriRW2wbp
— RapTV (@Rap) October 3, 2022
James and his friends will overlook China’s ongoing human rights abuses as long as their pockets are lined nicely, but they’ll cancel an entire episode of their show with a Grammy-winning rapper just because his views differ from theirs.
“The Shop” not airing this Kanye West episode gives off serious censorship vibes.
The cancellation of the episode comes a week after West appeared at Paris Fashion Week with conservative commentator Candace Owens wearing shirts with the slogan “White Lives Matter.” Just days later, Ye appeared on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” where he made several anti-Semitic remarks that the network decided not to air, according to Vice. A few days after that, the rapper tweeted that he planned to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”