Hamptons Celebs Condemn Kanye West for Selling Swastika T-Shirts

Members of the Hamptons community were united in speaking out during the time Kanye West — now legally known as Ye — sparked outrage and controversy by making a slew of antisemitic rants, as well as selling swastika T-shirts on his official website.

Gwyneth Paltrow reposted on social media a poignant image originally shared by Amagansett local Jessica Seinfeld which read: “I stand against hatred of the Jewish people.”

Alexa Ray Joel, whose parents are Long Island locals Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, shared on Instagram she was “standing in solidarity” with the Jewish community, reposting a lengthy quote from Friends actor David Schwimmer, who urged Elon Musk to remove the rapper from X (formerly Twitter) for “hate-filled, ignorant” comments, adding: “Silence is complicity.” Sag Harbor resident Jill Zarin’s daughter Ally Shapiro posted an emotional video of herself with a caption that asked, “Where is the outrage?”

There was another shocking moment in the days that followed when a video went viral depicting Jewish celebrities such as Schwimmer, Jerry Seinfeld, Scarlett Johansson, Steven Spielberg, and Adam Sandler in a seemingly silent protest wearing an anti-Kanye T-shirt emblazoned with a middle finger. It quickly transpired the video was generated using AI without permission from the stars to use their image or likeness.

Montauk homeowner Johansson — who previously threatened legal action against ChatGPT parent company OpenAI for allegedly copying and imitating her voice in a product launch — was quick to call out the dangers of the deepfake and objected to the video, despite its intentions.

In a statement to People, she said: “It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends that an A.I.-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction. I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”