Pepsi pulls out as Wireless Festival sponsor over Kanye West headline slot

A trio of drinks brands, including Pepsi, have reportedly elected to pull their Wireless Festival support after organisers confirmed Kanye ‘Ye’ West would headline the three-day event.

Hot on the heels of Drake’s unprecedented three-night set in summer 2025, the Finsbury Park-based festival announced that the ‘Runaway’ rapper, 48, would perform between 10 and 12 July.

The American, who officially changed his name to ‘Ye’ in October 2021, is set to return to the UK for the first time in more than a decade following a series of sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.

Gigs have been scheduled despite the ‘Gold Digger’ star’s past anti-Semitic comments, which included praise for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and his persecution and eventual genocide of Europe’s Jewish population, known as the Holocaust.

Ye also released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ and ran a Super Bowl commercial advising fans to head to a website, where T-Shirts featuring a large black swastika were being sold.

In a full-page Wall Street Journal advertisement, the father-of-four apologised for his antisemitic tirade, blaming his bipolar disorder, which he was diagnosed with in 2016.

Following confirmation that Ye would headline Wireless Festival 2026, Pepsi elected to pull its sponsorship, with Diageo following suit.

“Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival,” the company said, as per Music Business Worldwide.

A spokesperson for Diaego said: “We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.”

According to a Sky News report, Rockstar Energy has also distanced itself from the premier music event.

The backlash comes amid Sir Keir Starmer calling Ye’s upcoming concerts ‘deeply concerning’ following his ‘previous anti-Semitic remarks and celebration of Nazism’.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has also spoken out against the decision, as has Sajid David, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer and current chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

The latter said he was ‘certain’ that Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, would stop the rapper from entering the UK if Wireless elected not to cancel the shows.

Musical figures such as Tyler, the Creator have previously been banned from entering the UK, with then-Home Secretary Theresa May condemning him in 2019 for homophobic and violent lyrical content used in his early albums.

The ban was lifted in 2019, with the Marty Supreme actor later thanking May in his 2020 Brit Awards speech.

Following the controversy, Ye has spoken out via a press release issued by his talent representatives.

"I've been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly,” the notice began.

"My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through music.”

Ye continued: "I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen. I know words aren't enough - I've have to show change through my actions.

"If you're open, I'm here. With Love."

Melvin Benn, Managing Director at Festival Republic, the event organisers behind Wireless, has said that while what Ye has said about Jewish people and Hitler is ‘abhorrent’, he hopes critics can ‘offer some forgiveness and hope to him’.

"I am a deeply committed anti-fascist and have been all my adult life. I lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970’s that was attacked on October 7th, am pro Jew and the Jewish state, while being equally committed to a Palestinian state,” he said.

“Having had a person in my life for the last 15 years who suffers from mental illness, I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behaviour that I have had to forgive and move on from. If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work.

"What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the Prime Minister and others that have commented and - taking him at his word - to Ye now also.”

Benn continued, alleging that despite the controversy, Ye’s music continues to get played on commercial radio stations in Britain and is available to listen to online.

“He has a legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country. He is intended to come in and perform.

“We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.

"Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do,” he added.