Pepsi, Diageo Pull Out of Wireless Festival Sponsorship Over Kanye West Headline Slot

Major brands including Pepsi and Diageo have withdrawn their sponsorship of the Wireless Festival after controversy erupted over the booking of Kanye West as the headline act.

West, who is set to perform across all three nights of the festival in July at Finsbury Park, has faced sustained criticism in recent years over antisemitic remarks and behaviour. The backlash intensified after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly raised concerns about the decision to include him in the line-up.

A Pepsi spokesperson confirmed the company’s withdrawal, stating: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.”

Shortly after, Diageo—owner of major brands such as Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan—also announced its decision. A spokesperson said: “We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.”

Meanwhile, PayPal, which had been a payment partner for the event, will no longer feature in future promotional material, according to reports.

Festival organisers have yet to respond publicly to the developments.

The controversy stems from West’s history of inflammatory statements, including antisemitic posts on social media platform X, a Super Bowl advertisement linked to a swastika-themed T-shirt, and a song referencing Adolf Hitler.

Responding to the situation, Starmer said it was “deeply concerning” that West has been booked “despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.

“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure,” the prime minister said.

West, also known as Ye, has previously been barred from X multiple times over antisemitic content. In January, he issued a public apology through a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal titled: “To Those I’ve Hurt.”

“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” it said. “I love Jewish people.”

In the same statement, West attributed his past actions to mental health struggles, writing: “In early 2025, I fell into a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life.

“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret.”

He also apologised to the Black community, saying he had let it down.

The rapper’s controversies have previously had significant professional consequences. In 2022, sportswear giant Adidas ended its partnership with him after he posted an image combining a swastika with the Star of David. The company later donated more than $150m (£117m) to anti-hate organisations.

Further criticism followed when West released a song titled Heil Hitler and promoted merchandise featuring Nazi symbolism.

Political pressure has continued to mount. Ed Davey recently called for the government to prevent West from entering the UK, urging Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to act.

He said she should “ban him from coming to this country – we’ve got to take antisemitism more seriously”.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has also backed calls for a ban, stating on X: “The government can ban anyone from entering the UK who is not a citizen and whose presence would ‘not be conducive to the public good’.

“Surely this is a clear case.”

According to reports, the UK Home Office has not yet received a formal application from West to enter the country.

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