Kanye West has been barred from entering the UK after having his visa request denied.
A spokesman for the Home Office, the British government department that deals with immigration issues, said in a statement to the BBC that the decision was made on the grounds “that his presence would not be conducive to the public good.”
The decision comes after West had been announced to headline all three days of this summer’s Wireless Festival in London. The booking was met with outcry from numerous UK officials, including British prime minister Keir Starmer, London mayor Sadiq Khan, and members of the Jewish community, due to West’s long history of antisemitism. Several of Wireless Festival’s sponsors, including Pepsi, Diageo, and PayPal, also withdrew their support of the event.
As recently as Monday, however, Wireless Festival promoter Melvin Benn stood by West as the event’s headliner, saying, “Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world.”
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West allegedly expressed antisemitic views as far back as the early 2000s, but beginning in 2022 his statements and conduct toward Jewish people became increasingly overt. As recently as spring 2025, West sold t-shirts with a swastika emblazoned on them, and released a song called “Heil Hitler,” which praised and sampled a speech by the Nazi leader.
Earlier this year, West took out a one-page ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for his past actions and attributing them to the effects of his bipolar I diagnosis. The apology came ahead of the release of his latest album, Bully, as well as the announcement of several high-profile concerts, including Wireless Festival.
Read Kiana Fitzgerald’s new editorial on why the industry is once again giving Kanye West a pass.
