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Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., pushed back against a pair of concerts rapper Kanye West is booked to perform in Tampa later this month, demanding no taxpayer dollars be used to fund the shows in a letter to city officials, as West\u2019s return to the stage has sparked wide backlash and led to multiple cancellations abroad.<\/p>\n
Kanye West’s return to the stage has been met with blowback worldwide. (Photo by Scott Dudelson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
In a letter<\/a> to Tampa\u2019s Sports Authority Board of Directors, Scott said West\u2019s \u201cconstant antisemitic attacks are an affront to the values\u201d of Tampa residents and a \u201cslap in the face to our state\u2019s Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott urged the sports board to \u201ccarefully review\u201d its decision to host West at Tampa\u2019s Raymond James Stadium, also demanding the show not be funded with any taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n Scott\u2019s letter cited multiple examples of West\u2019s past antisemitic behavior, including previous remarks praising Nazis and his purchase of a Super Bowl advertisement<\/a> in 2025 that directed viewers to his website, which was selling T-shirts branded with swastikas.<\/p>\n Scott cited the United Kingdom\u2019s decision to bar West<\/a> from entering the country, which led to the cancellation of the three-day Wireless festival in London in April.<\/p>\n In a post<\/a> on X earlier this month, Scott said West \u201cdoesn\u2019t deserve a stage to spread his hate anywhere, especially Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Where Has Kanye West Been Blocked From Performing?<\/p>\n The rapper\u2019s return to the stage has been obstructed by pushback and travel bans from some world leaders. In April, West\u2019s bid to perform at London\u2019s Wireless festival hit a major roadblock<\/a> when sponsors pulled out over his history of antisemitic remarks, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying he was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d over the decision to book West. Shortly after the wave of backlash began, the U.K. government denied<\/a> West\u2019s visa application, saying his presence would not be \u201cconducive to the public good,\u201d and the Wireless festival was canceled. West then postponed a planned concert date in Marseille, France, after the city\u2019s mayor Beno\u00eet Payan said he would refuse<\/a> to allow the city to serve as \u201ca showcase for those who promote hatred and unapologetic Nazism.\u201d Other planned concerts have been cancelled<\/a> by officials in Switzerland, Poland and Italy.<\/p>\n Where Has Kanye West Been Allowed To Perform?<\/p>\n West performed his first two major U.S. concerts in years at SoFi Stadium, located outside of Los Angeles, in California in April. There, West was greeted with sold-out<\/a> crowds and brought out celebrity guests, including Lauryn Hill and Travis Scott. He performed for a massive audience<\/a> of 118,000 fans in Istanbul last week, his first European show in more than a decade. Earlier this week, a Dutch court blocked<\/a> an appeal by a Jewish organization to prevent West from holding a pair of shows in the Netherlands, which are scheduled for this coming weekend. <\/p>\n tangent<\/p>\n West\u2019s antisemitic remarks have previously sparked blowback in Florida. In January, a Miami Beach nightclub faced backlash<\/a> for playing West\u2019s notorious antisemitic song, titled \u201cHeil Hitler.\u201d A slew of controversial influencers were at the club, including Andrew and Tristan Tate and Nick Fuentes. Miami Beach mayor Steven Meiner<\/a>, who is Jewish, said he was \u201cdeeply disturbed and disgusted\u201d by videos of the incident that spread on social media, condemning \u201ctwisted individuals glorifying Hitler and the murder of millions.\u201d<\/p>\n key background<\/p>\n West\u2019s career as an acclaimed rapper and billionaire businessman was derailed when he began making a series of antisemitic, racist and otherwise bizarre comments in 2022. He praised<\/a> Adolf Hitler, wore a \u201cWhite Lives Matter\u201d T-shirt and claimed \u201cPlanned Parenthood was made\u2026 with the KKK to control the Jew population.\u201d In another antisemitic tirade<\/a> in 2025, West posted, \u201cIM A NAZI\u201d and said he is \u201cNEVER APOLOGIZING FOR MY JEWISH COMMENTS.\u201d In January, West took out a full-page ad<\/a> in the Wall Street Journal to ask for \u201cpatience and understanding\u201d following his antisemitism controversies, blaming his behavior on a traumatic brain injury from decades earlier. Once worth as much as $2 billion, West tumbled from billionaire status after Adidas, which sold his Yeezy shoes, cut ties with him over his antisemitic remarks.<\/p>\n further reading<\/p>\n