Is Wireless Festival cancelled? A timeline of the Kanye West controversy

This article contains references to racism, antisemitism and misogyny.

To say that Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is a controversial character is… putting things lightly. The songwriter, who once wrote about the injustices of racial inequality and economic disparity, is now associated with swastika merch, his comments about slavery being a choice for black people and misogynistic behaviour that includes him saying that he has "dominion" over his wife, Bianca Censori.

Despite various public apologies over the years and a recent mental health diagnosis, as it currently stands, Ye is a public figure that even the UK government doesn't want to be associated with. Following his announcement as the headline act for all three days of Wireless Festival 2026, the festival has today, Tuesday 7th April, been cancelled after the government refused permission for Ye to travel to the UK.

A statement from organisers, Festival Republic, reads: "The Home Office has withdrawn YE's ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom. As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled, and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders.”

Where did it all go wrong? Below is a timeline of his controversial behaviour over the years — bear with us, it's lengthy.

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A timeline of the Kanye West controversy

We all remember the “Imma let you finish” debacle at the 2009 VMAs. Taylor Swift won the MTV VMA for Best Female Video for You Belong With Me. When accepting her award, Ye interrupted her speech, saying that the win was undeserved, and that Beyoncé's music video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) was one of the greatest videos of all time. The incident kickstarts years of back-and-forth feuding between the musicians, with West releasing a single — Famous — in which he referred to Swift as a ‘bitch’ and included in the music video a naked wax sculpture of her likeness, which Swift referred to as ‘revenge porn’. Swift has responded to West's various public tauntings with singles that are reported to include Look What You Made Me Do and thanK you aIMee.

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On February 10th, 2016, West wrote “BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!” to his 18.4 million followers on Twitter, prompting a host of celebrities to respond, criticising him. Bill Cosby, a US comedian and TV star, was arrested in December 2015 on charges of drugging and raping a woman at his Pennsylvania home in 2004, and was subsequently sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. The judgment was later overturned in June 2021, leading to his release. However, in March 2026, Cosby was ordered to pay $59.25m (£44.1m) in damages to a former waitress after finding he drugged and sexually assaulted her more than 50 years previously.

Ye sparked global backlash by suggesting that 400 years of African-American enslavement “sounds like a choice”, during an appearance on TMZ Live. In the same TMZ clip, he refers to Mr Trump as "my boy" and says that the president is "one of rap's favourite people".

Ye appears at his Yeezy SZN 9 show at Paris Fashion Week wearing a t-shirt featuring an image of Pope John Paul II on the front and the statement ‘White Lives Matter’ on the back, a racist take on the Black Lives Matter movement. He appears to double down on the right-wing talking point by posing for a photo at the show with conservative commentator Candace Owens, who was wearing a matching t-shirt. The picture goes viral. Ahead of the show, Ye told the crowd: “Everyone here knows that I am the leader … you can’t manage me. This is an unmanageable situation.”

WWD/Getty Images

Ye said in a tweet that he would go “death con 3” (a reference to ‘DEFCON3’ a state of increased readiness by the US armed forces) on “JEWISH PEOPLE”. His Instagram account was subsequently suspended due to antisemitism, and Adidas, with whom he had a business partnership, announced it was reviewing its deal with the rapper.

Vice shares unaired footage from West's controversial interview with right-wing pundit and Fox News anchor, Tucker Carlson, in which he makes statements such as that Planned Parenthood was created with the KKK “to control the Jew population.” and that Black people are the real Jewish people: “When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, who the people known as the race Black really are. This is who our people are. The blood of Christ. This, as a Christian, is my belief.”

Balenciaga, Creative Artists Agency and JP Morgan all announce that they have cut ties with Ye as a brand ambassador/creative partner. Adidas soon follows.

Ye announces he will run for the US presidency in 2024. This news follows reports of Ye attending Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago golf club in Florida to privately dine with the now president, alongside the far-right political commentator and Neo-Nazi, Nick Fuentes, who has openly praised Adolf Hitler, claiming he thinks the leader of the Nazi party was “very fucking cool”.

West appears on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's YouTube show, Infowars. In the video, the rapper wears a black face covering, praises Adolf Hitler, saying “I see good things about Adolf Hitler” – and rants about sin, pornography and the devil. He is subsequently suspended from Twitter for violating rules against incitement to violence.

In his first public apology, West takes to Instagram to share a message he's written in Hebrew, which translates as reading: “I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community … It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”

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Ye and his wife Bianca Censori are escorted out of the 2025 Grammy Awards after Bianca revealed her fully naked body underneath a fur coat on the red carpet, appearing to be encouraged by West to remove the garment, with one X user writing, “How much longer can she be paraded around like this before someone realises it's just too much? Someone needs to step up and save her from Kanye's chaos.”

Following a spate of appearances featuring Censori in semi-nude outfits while West appeared alongside fully-clothed, the rapper took to his Instagram account to say, “Ima post my wife as much as I want bro. It makes me happy. Some people don’t want you to be happy. They want you to make them happy. I decided to make myself happy, and I’m happy with that.”

West publicly releases an official single from his unreleased studio album Cuck, titled Heil Hitler. In it, he claims his custody battle and the freezing of his assets caused him to turn to Nazism, with the chorus featuring West chanting "n***** heil Hitler". Following widespread backlash, on May 31, West released "Hallelujah", an alternate version of "Heil Hitler" that replaces its references to Nazism with lyrics relating to Christianity.

During this time, West also started selling swastika t-shirts — a plain white t-shirt featuring a large, black swastika symbol on the front, alongside the product code “HH-01”, which is believed to be a reference to "Heil Hitler". West deactivates his X account.

West publishes a page-long apology titled ‘To Those I’ve Hurt' for his actions over the years in The Wall Street Journal, claiming his antisemitic behaviour was a side-effect of a brain injury he suffered in a car accident in 2002 — the same accident that provided inspiration for his work Through The Wire.

The letter reads as follows:

To Those I’ve Hurt:

Twenty-five years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain. At the time, the focus was on the visible damage – the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.

Comprehensive scans were not done, neurological exams were limited, and the possibility of a frontal-lobe injury was never raised. It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.

Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.

Once people label you as “crazy,” you feel as if you cannot contribute anything meaningful to the world. It’s easy for people to joke and laugh it off when in fact this is a very serious debilitating disease you can die from. According to the World Health Organization and Cambridge University, people with bipolar disorder have a life expectancy that is shortened by 10 to 15 years on average, and a 2x-3x higher all-cause mortality rate than the general population. This is on par with severe heart disease, type 1 diabetes, HIV, and cancer – all lethal and fatal if left untreated.

The scariest thing about this disorder is how persuasive it is when it tells you: You don’t need help. It makes you blind, but convinced you have insight. You feel powerful, certain, unstoppable.

I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self.

In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it. One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments - many of which I still cannot recall - that led to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience. I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.

To the black community - which held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times. The black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.

In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life. As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here any more.

Having bipolar disorder is notable state of constant mental illness. When you go into a manic episode, you are ill at that point. When you are not in an episode, you are completely “normal”. And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest. Hitting rock bottom a few months ago, my wife encouraged me to finally get help.

I have found comfort in Reddit forums of all places. Different people speak of being in manic or depressive episodes of a similar nature. I read their stories and realized that I was not alone. It’s not just me who ruins their entire life once a year despite taking meds every day and being told by the so-called best doctors in the world that I am not bipolar, but merely experiencing “symptoms of autism”.

My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that.

As I find my new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living, I have newfound, much-needed clarity. I am pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design and other new ideas to help the world.

I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”

With love,

Ye

Following the release of his 12th album Bully and the announcement of a worldwide tour, Ye is booked to headline London's Wireless Festival over all three nights. The news prompts an immediate backlash given the rapper's previous controversial behaviour, with West announcing he "would be grateful" to meet members of the Jewish community, "to listen".

"I know words aren't enough," added the star. "I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here." The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was "willing" to meet the rapper, on the condition that he pulls out of his Wireless performances. On Tuesday, 7th April, Wireless Festival is cancelled over the UK government's refusal to permit entry to West.