Festival Republic managing director Melvin Benn has spoken about the backlash to his decision to book Ye (formerly Kanye West) as the headline act for Wireless Festival 2026, and revealed whether the festival will return after being canceled this year.
In a new interview with NME published Wednesday (July 15), Benn said the controversy has since encouraged him to reflect on the announcement, and explained the lessons he has learned. “Timing, I think, is an important lesson,” he said. “I would hope that other people learn the lesson of forgiveness, because forgiveness is an important part of being a decent human being, in my view.”
He continued: “So I do think that is a lesson, but that’s not my lesson. I think timing is an important one, but Wireless will return. We’re very confident about that.”
The rap-oriented event, which had been set to take place July 10-12, faced widespread criticism after Ye’s headline slot for all three nights was announced in March. London mayor Sadiq Khan and several Jewish organizations were among those criticizing the decision to book the rapper following his previous antisemitic remarks. (Ye had issued an apology for the repeated hate speech in January via an ad in The Wall Street Journal, blaming his behavior on a brain injury.)
The announcement about Ye headlining the event also led to several sponsors withdrawing their support from the festival, including Pepsi, Rockstar Energy, Diageo and PayPal. Benn has since said that multiple stakeholders had been consulted before the booking and that no concerns had been raised at the time.
He had gone on to defend the decision to book West, arguing that the rapper should be given the opportunity to change. In an April statement, he acknowledged the seriousness of Ye’s previous remarks, but said he believed in the possibility of accountability.
“Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world,” he said at the time. “I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.”
On April 7, a week after Wireless made its announcement, the British government confirmed that Ye would be unable to enter the U.K. on an Electronic Travel Authorization visitor visa. The Home Office cited Ye’s past antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments, and said that his “presence would not be conducive to the public good.” Festival Republic subsequently canceled this year’s edition of Wireless and confirmed that ticket holders would receive refunds.
Ye returned with his Bully album on March 28, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He supported the release with a pair of sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles at the start of April.
