Fox TV Stations CEO Shares Regret for Kanye West Super Bowl Ad: ‘We Strongly Condemn Any Form of Antisemitism’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy has sent a note to staffers addressing the Kanye West Yeezy.com advertisement that ran in three of its markets, including Los Angeles’ KTTV Fox 11, during the Super Bowl.

The spot caused outrage as West has been regularly posting antisemitic messages on his social media while also proclaiming himself to be a nazi — and then began selling a t-shirt with a swastika on the website that had been advertised. “We regret that these commercials aired in these three markets, and we strongly condemn any form of antisemitism,” Abernethy wrote in his email to Fox TV Stations employees.

As Variety reported on Monday, the 30-second spot, which was placed by the USIM media buying agency, didn’t set off red flags at the time it was submitted because it was prior to West’s recent outbursts — and the low-budget commercial, shot in what appeared to be a dentist’s chair as West said he was filming it on an iPhone, didn’t contain questionable content.

Up until the ad actually ran, the Yeezy.com website featured a Shopify-powered store selection of various non-branded articles of clothing like shirts, pants and jackets — nothing that would have been deemed an issue.