Disney Personality Josh Gad Speaks Out Against Kanye West’s Anti-Semitic Comments

Josh Gad, Disney fan and voice of beloved character Olaf from the ‘Frozen’ films, is speaking out. Comments and images shared by rapper Kanye West have created controversy all over social media, and Gad is speaking up; and most importantly, speaking out.

Kanye West is no stranger to controversy. In October, sportswear brand Adidas cut ties with West over controversial anti-Semitic comments he made. In a statement, Adidas shared that they “do not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech”. (BBC News) Other brands such as Gap and Balenciaga, a high end fashion company, have also terminated their business with West.

West is back in the news this week with a new round of hate speech comments. As shared by BBC News, West “posted a series of erratic tweets – one of which appeared to show a symbol combining a swastika and a Jewish star”. In an action by Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, West had his Twitter account suspended. Musk stated that West was suspended for violating a rule which states users cannot incite violence on the platform.

However, Twitter users are wondering why this suspension hasn’t happened sooner, with more aggressive action taken. Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf and adored Disney personality, spoke out via Twitter on the situation:

It’s not what Kanye West says that scares me. It’s that he has 30 million followers who listen to his insanity on top of a cheerleader in the form of the current owner of this platform. No one who says “I love Hitler” should be allowed any oxygen on any social platform (period).

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) December 1, 2022

Replies on Twitter are a mix, with some coming out in support of Gad:

Others are declaring that West still maintains a right to freedom of speech:

What do you think? Is Gad correct? Or is West permitted freedom of speech? Let us know in the comments.