Pepsi is pulling out of its sponsorship of a British festival because of Kanye West

Pepsi has announced the end of its decade-long partnership with the British music festival Wireless following a wave of outrage over rapper Kanye West’s appearance as the festival’s headliner.

Variety reported this on April 5, 2026. The decision was made following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s condemnation of the artist for his previous anti-Semitic remarks, which sparked massive protests on social media against the event’s sponsorship.

The partnership agreement, under which the festival was officially named Pepsi MAX Presents Wireless, had been in effect since 2015, but the company decided to immediately sever its brand’s association with the rapper’s performance. Despite Pepsi’s official statement about withdrawing from the project, the festival’s website still features the sponsor’s advertisement and an announcement of Kanye West’s performance at London’s Finsbury Park on July 10–12. Ticket sales for the event are set to begin on Tuesday, April 7, although the future of the event’s funding remains uncertain.

The scandal surrounding Wireless is unfolding alongside logistical difficulties in Europe caused by Storm Dave in Norway and Donald Trump’s energy ultimatums in the Middle East. While Russia attempts to exploit any Western disagreements for its own propaganda, the British government insists on adherence to ethical standards in the public sphere. So far, the festival organizers have not commented on the loss of a key sponsor, while Ukrenergo reports no restrictions on the domestic grid for the coming day.

American rapper Kanye West, who has been at the center of scandals in recent years due to his radical statements, has publicly apologized for comments that glorified Hitler and disparaged the Jewish community. 

Kanye West, who had previously declared his anti-Semitic and pro-Russian stance, arrived in Moscow.