Sharon Osbourne tells ’embarrassing’ Kanye West to give government loan back
West has announced his decision to run for president.
Sharon Osbourne has called Kanye West “embarrassing” after the billionaire rapper’s fashion brand received a loan from the US government designed to avoid mass layoffs amid the pandemic.
West’s Yeezy company was approved for a loan between two and five million dollars (about £1.6 million to £4 million), which helped retain 106 jobs, official figures show.
The musician has announced his intention to run for president.
Appearing on The Talk, Osbourne said West should give the money back to the government.
She said: “I thought it was like mama and papa type companies that really don’t have that much profit in the bank, so you know they need help to keep people’s jobs and everybody going.
“And I just think that when you have that sort of cash, it’s embarrassing to ask when you have it yourself. You have it, you have more than enough to keep 100 people going, so why ask the government, take from the government?
“I just don’t get that. When you are so wealthy, your family, everybody in your family is so wealthy, why are you doing this? I think he should give the money back.”
West was named a billionaire by Forbes magazine in April, largely thanks to his stake in the Yeezy trainer line.
The 43-year-old had long coveted the status and the magazine said he accused Forbes of “purposely snubbing me” when it refused to class him as a billionaire a year earlier.
This week he gave a wide-ranging and eyebrow-raising interview with the same outlet, outlining his presidential credentials, despite already having missed the deadline to appear on the ballot in a number of US states
West said he is anti-abortion, anti-vaccination and pro-school prayer.
