Formerly a multibillionaire, Ye‘s earnings have nosedived in concurrence with his reputation. He’s still one of the world’s richest musicians, but his rash of antisemitic comments have cut his net worth by roughly three-quarters. If he continues his poisonous rhetoric and continues to be punished by civil society, his valuation will likely fall even farther. Here’s what Ye’s net worth looks like as we approach 2023.
The rise
Although Ye generated extraordinary wealth from his music, his biggest score was Adidas. The rapper began producing Yeezy sneakers for the company in 2015, which grossed billions and made him the highest-paid musician and second-highest-paid celebrity behind Kylie Jenner. In 2020, Forbes listed Ye’s net worth as $1 billion, which Ye contested, proclaiming, “It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.” By 2022, his Forbes-estimated fortune had ballooned to $2 billion.
The fall
“I lost 2 billion dollars in one day,” Ye wrote on Oct. 27 after Adidas, Balenciaga, and numerous other companies dropped him for his antisemitism. If Ye was exaggerating, it was slight, as Forbes estimated that he had forfeited $1.5 billion on his Adidas termination alone. Despite Yeezy products accounting for up to eight percent of Adidas’s revenue, the company announced that Ye’s remarks were “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” which caused it to “end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies.” Adidas predicted a quarter-billion-dollar loss in 2022 as a result of the separation, but that is nothing compared to Ye’s loss.
Yeezus going into 2023
As of Dec. 30, 2022, Ye’s estimated net worth is $400.1 million. Absent his lucrative business partners, the 45-year-old’s fortune consists of his music, cash, real estate, and “skimming” from ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s company, Skims (he owns a five percent stake). 2023 remains a big question mark for Ye, not just regarding his finances, but his sanity, presidential bid, and his very whereabouts. We’re intrigued and nervous to bring in the new year with new Ye.
