Needless to say, Kanye West has had an eventful February – but for all the wrong reasons. His blatant racism, misogyny, and antisemitism hasn’t been uncommon but has only grown more concerning by the year and has sparked an even bigger debate after he walked the Grammys red carpet with his wife visibly nude. 

With all he’s done, it’s shocking he still has a platform. Can we expect him to face any real repercussions? To me, it’s clear that the notorious loyalty of his fans make these controversies nothing but publicity for his summer 2025 album. But what exactly causes this attachment especially in the music industry?

His Grammys scandal would be the tamest of his recent controversies, as a few days later he would spam an overwhelming amount of posts over 12 hours, making antisemitic comments such as “I’M A NAZI”, advocating against convicted sex trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs’s prison sentence, and other hateful messages. Accompanied by his controversial Super Bowl ad promoting the website for his Yeezy brand which, at the time, was only selling a plain t-shirt with a Swastika.

As a result, West’s X account has been taken down, but it is unclear if it was his own doing rather than a ban from the website. He has parted ways with sponsors like Adidas and Balenciaga, yet he has a $400 million net worth according to Forbes. He was dropped by his talent agency 33&West following a lawsuit regarding his behavior, but remains to have 67.6 million monthly Spotify listeners and his library is valued at millions of dollars. 

My idea that this will be nothing but another cycle of outrage to eventual comeback isn’t surprising, especially looking back at other celebrities who have faced similar challenges but got a slap on the wrist and continue to thrive to this day. 

Chris Brown, for example, is an R&B icon that remains a Billboard 200 topper even after his infamous 2009 charge of felony assault against Rihanna and numerous, more recent, accusations. At the time, multiple radio stations pulled his songs and he was dropped by some endorsements. There was public outrage while it was a hot topic, but what about 15 years later? 

With the accessibility of streaming services and social media, one less endorsement or a ban from a radio station means little to nothing for the millionaire. 

Today, Brown has 144 million followers on Instagram with 52.7 million listeners on Spotify. He has been named the third most successful R&B/Hip-hop artist of the 2010s by Billboard, winning over 200 awards since his debut. The negative reputation still lingers, but is obviously outweighed by his very loyal fanbase.

On the more recent side, we have R&B and Hip-Hop artist Tory Lanez, who was sentenced in 2023 to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot a few years prior. Even after this dispute, Lanez’s previous albums have experienced a boost in popularity largely due to social media. 

He currently has 11.3 million Instagram followers, often advertising his merchandise saying “Make Tory Free Again” — a reference to President Trump’s infamous slogan — and 23.4 million monthly Spotify listeners. These are only a couple of examples of the peculiar cycle of outrage to backlash to temporary exile or “cancellation”, to an eventual comeback in some form.

With these examples, it’s interesting just how extreme fan loyalty can be. Even if it may not be entirely parasocial in every scenario, I do believe it has something to do with attachment styles. For me, music is a form of escapism from the harsh reality we live in. It’s a way to relax and decompress after a long day. 

If an artist makes music that I connect with and I’m familiar with them, I can become attached. With that attachment, if they get into a controversy I have been guilty to disregard it because I don’t want to think about how serious the problems are, I just want to enjoy my form of escapism. 

This is the case for many, sparking the phrase “separate the art from the artist.” But how much can we ethically separate? How far is too far for a celebrity? Typically it tends to be incarceration, or a circumstance where the artist is unable to produce at all, leading to the downfall of their popularity. But very rarely do they lose the ultimate key to their success — money. 

So, how can we ensure that celebrities truly face consequences for their actions? I believe this could be by taking away that key. Think twice before purchasing merchandise from any celebrity. Many celebrities have business endeavors besides merchandise such as SKIMS, a shapewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian but the products have no direct ties to make it her exclusive merchandise. 

Always look into what you buy no matter what, it’s important to know where your money is going. It’s also important to know where your time is going as well. I am guilty of listening to artists who have faced “cancellation” but I can acknowledge that streaming on Spotify does not grant a lot of change to its creators. 

That is a whole other issue to dive into, but it does have its perks when it comes to listening to infamous artists you may still connect with. It also doesn’t hurt to support local businesses and buy used physical copies. 

In conclusion, “cancelling” a celebrity normally has little consequences and only results in a comeback, but there are ways to do your part and make sure celebrities don’t get away from their heinous actions.