Josh Gad speaks out against antisemitism: 'Silence is no longer an option'
Josh Gad is speaking out against antisemitism and calling out Ye's offensive tweets toward the Jewish community.
In a moving Instagram post on Monday, the actor shared a personal story about his grandparents, who are Holocaust survivors, and the consequences of antisemitic rhetoric.
His remarks come amid backlash to Ye -- the rapper and designer formerly known as Kanye West -- who made comments earlier in October threatening Jewish people and repeating antisemitic tropes about the Jewish community.
"For 30 years, my grandparents Joseph and Evelyn Greenblatt repeated one phrase to me again and again: 'never forget,' " the "Frozen" actor wrote Monday. "You see, when they were children, they were rounded up, tattooed with numbers like cattle and separated from their families. They were then put into camps as their parents and siblings were slaughtered. Why? Because they were an easy target; scapegoats for Fascist monsters who turned their fellow countrymen into complicit murderers."
"I vowed to never forget, but never imagined I would have to once again fear the dangers of this blind and ignorant hatred towards my people. Until today," Gad continued. "This last week has truly shocked so many like myself into being reminded how quickly and easily hate can spread and find it's way into my own city, spoken by those who would dare utter words spoken by Hitler."
Gad appeared to be referencing reports about a group who draped antisemitic signs -- one of which was supportive of Ye's comments -- on a freeway overpass in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Gad then turned his attention to Ye himself, calling him a "raging f------ anti-Semite."
Ye has spoken in the past about his mental health -- he was hospitalized in 2016 for exhaustion and stress and has rapped about using antidepressants -- and said in a 2019 interview with David Letterman that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
People with bipolar disorder often experience severe mood changes that can last weeks and interfere with daily life. Bipolar disorder is treatable with medication and therapy. Psychiatrists are careful to draw a strong line between psychiatric illness and bigoted behavior, pointing out that studies have not documented a link between bipolar disorder and antisemitism, or hate towards any specific racial groups.
"His mental illness is not an excuse for his Neo-Nazi propaganda," Gad wrote in his post on Monday. "I have friends who are bipolar. They don't suffer from vile bigotry and hate. I have stood with many again and again over the course of my life. My people are now under attack in a very disturbing and real way."
Gad ended his post by urging people to never forget history and to "speak out now and speak out loudly."
"Silence is no longer an option," he wrote.
Earlier in October, Ye was locked out of Twitter after posting threatening remarks about Jewish people and repeating antisemitic tropes. A Twitter spokesperson told ABC News at the time that his account had been locked due to a violation of the company's policies.
Ye made similarly antisemitic remarks during a since-deleted Oct. 16 interview on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs," and on Oct. 17, during an interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation. "Drink Champs" host N.O.R.E. has since apologized for the interview, telling Hot97's Peter Rosenberg in part, "I felt that I could control the interview, and learned early on that I didn't."
Backlash was swift. In the days following Ye's comments, celebrities and public figures -- including Ye's ex-wife Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Amy Schumer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Florence Pugh, John Legend, Jack Antonoff, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and more -- began issuing statements expressing solidarity with the Jewish community and denouncing antisemitism.
Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, which previously represented Ye for touring, announced on Monday that it was no longer representing the rapper and designer in the wake of his comments. Film and television studio MRC is also shelving a documentary on Kanye West and said in a statement on Monday that they "cannot support any content that amplifies his platform."
On Tuesday, Adidas said it had terminated its relationship with Ye and called his recent comments and actions "unacceptable, hateful and dangerous."
According to WWD, Ye's collaboration with Balenciaga has also reportedly been terminated.
Despite the outry, Ye continued to assail Jews in an interview on a podcast Monday.
