Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, during an Oct. 16 interview on “Drink Champs.” Photo by YouTube screenshot

By Louis Keene October 27, 2022

Was it an admission of defeat? An act of self-parody? Or was the canceled rapper simply hungry?

Kanye West’s bewildering rebrand as a vitriolic antisemite took an ironic turn yesterday when, reportedly on an unsolicited job interview trip to Skechers headquarters in Manhattan Beach, California, he stopped for lunch — at a bagel shop.

Pictures of West, who changed his name to Ye earlier this year, at Manhattan Bread & Bagel, in Manhattan Beach, California, surfaced on social media Wednesday and were first reported by TMZ.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The irony of a man spewing Jew hatred seeking out arguably the most iconic of Jewish foods was not lost on the people who spotted it.

Mike Ochoa posted a photo on Instagram of West standing in line, wearing a blue hoodie, matching fatigue baseball cap and pants, and black rubber rain boots on a sunny Southern California day.

“At least he like bagels,” was Ochoa’s wry caption.

In an interview Wednesday, Ochoa told the Forward that West definitely ordered a bagel, but that he was not sure what kind. Ochoa (turkey sandwich on a garlic bagel) said he was tempted to ask West for a photo but that the “Good Life” rapper looked angry. (TMZ reported that other onlookers saw West sitting at a table with a companion, eating a bagel, and that he seemed to be in good spirits.)

Commenters on Reddit seemed amused by the latest turn of the saga of a man who declared he was going “death con 3 on Jewish people” two weeks ago — and who lost lucrative business partnerships with Adidas and Balenciaga, among other companies, and has been shunned by the entertainment industry as a result.

Perhaps alluding to the report that West is no longer a billionaire after Adidas parted ways with him, one user wrote: “I hope he can afford it now. We can’t let his family starve.”

Another joked: “But will the bagel shop cut ties??”

West was escorted out of Skechers headquarters, which, like the bagel shop, is also in Manhattan Beach, after a brief conversation in the lobby, according to TMZ. A spokesperson for the company, which was founded in 1992, said it condemns West’s divisive remarks and has no intention of ever working with him.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel riffed on West’s trip to the bagel store: “He shouldn’t be allowed to eat bagels anymore, right? At the very least.”

He added: “Lox him up!”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount