Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden Said He Doesn’t Think Kanye West ‘Meant What He Said’ In His Antisemitic Comments

Following a series of antisemitic comments, Kanye West has fallen out of favor with the general public — and with many of his collaborators. After the comments, Adidas, who was carrying West’s Yeezy shoes and fashion line, cut ties with West. Despite the dissolution of this partnership, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden had nothing but positive things to say about West.

During an interview on Nicolai Tungen’s In Good Company podcast, Gulden spoke highly of West, lauding his creativity.

“I think Kanye West is one of the most creative people in the world,” said Gulden. “And both in music and what I call street culture. So he’s extremely creative and has together with Adi created a Yeezy line that was very successful… I don’t think he meant what he said and I don’t think he’s a bad person, it just came across that way.”

Gulden mourned the end of the Yeezy collaboration but expressed gratitude for the partnership.

“That meant we lost that business,” said Gulden. “One of the most successful collabs in history — very sad. But again, when you work with third parties that can happen. It’s part of the game. That can happen with an athlete, that can happen with an entertainer. It’s part of the business.”

You can see a clip from the interview above.