Kanye West, Adidas, and Yeezy Give $500,000 to California Fire Relief

Kanye West, Adidas, and Yeezy have given $500,000 to various California fire relief efforts.

November 21, 2018

In partnership with Adidas and his own Yeezy company, Kanye West has given $500,000 to California fire relief efforts.

TMZ first reported early Wednesday morning that West—following a "serious discussion" with Kim Kardashian—raised the money after approaching Adidas and Yeezy in an effort to "ease the burden" of those affected by this month's horrifying fires. Furthermore, the report broke down the donation as follows: $200,000 to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund, $200,000 to the California Fire Foundation, and $100,000 to firefighter Michael Williams and his wife Lisa.

Michael and Lisa appeared alongside Kim on a new episode of Ellen DeGeneres' show Wednesday. The couple, as detailed during the episode, lost their home to the Woolsey Fire. "Kanye, Yeezy, and Adidas wanted to donate to you guys $100,000 so that you guys can, you know, begin to pick up the pieces, you know?" Kardashian said before presenting them with a check.

Last week, West claimed via Twitter to be working on the development of a "fireproof community." He did not elaborate further.

West also recently donated $150,000 to the family of Jemel Roberson. Roberson, a 26-year-old security guard, was shot and killed by a police officer while detaining an armed man outside of a bar near Chicago.

The donations come in the wake of West's embrace of Trump and several far right figures, a marathon of fan-maddening behavior that also included a widely mocked visit to what they're apparently still calling the White House. Though West seemingly apologized for these co-signs in a series of tweets last month, a later report claimed that West's omission of Trump's name from those tweets was no accident.