Kanye West's Super Bowl Ad Shocked Viewers, How Did It Get Approved?

Kanye West pulled an expensive and controversial move during Super Bowl Sunday, managing to get a TV ad on air amid his antisemitic rants that exploded online.

The 30-second commercial, which Kanye West claims was filmed on his iPhone, stunned viewers when it aired in select markets, such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.

The ad featured Ye sitting in a dental chair, showing off his new grill, and repeatedly saying, “Umm.”

“So what’s up, guys, I spent, like all the money for the commercial on these new teeth. So once again, I had to shoot it on the iPhone,” he said before stuttering, “Um… um… go to yeezy.com.”

The ad's setting may be a nod to claims made last year by his former chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos. According to Variety, Yiannopoulos, a celebrity dentist allegedly supplied West with nitrous oxide, reportedly in an effort to manipulate him and extract millions of dollars. Yiannopoulos also shared purported screenshots of group messages between himself, West, and the dentist, in which West requested nitrous, and the dentist complied.

While seemingly harmless, its airing came just days after the rapper made inflammatory antisemitic remarks, including declaring, "I'm a Nazi," praising Hitler as "so fresh," and claiming, "he loves when Jewish people come to me and say they can’t work with me," among other inflammatory statements. He also defiantly stated that he is "never apologizing for my Jewish comments."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ that FOX approved the ad on Friday, basing their decision solely on its content and the website it promoted, Yeezy.com. At the time of approval, the website featured standard Yeezy athletic and athleisure apparel, with nothing offensive present.

However, by Sunday, Kanye made a drastic change to the site, reducing its inventory to a single item, a white T-shirt featuring a large swastika on the chest.

This shift left FOX blindsided, as their decision to air the ad was made before the offensive update to his website.

Insiders reveal that Kanye purchased the ad for a staggering $8 million through a third-party advertising agency. While it's unclear when he made the purchase or when the commercial was filmed, it is typically the agency's responsibility to vet clients before pitching them to networks.

Despite Kanye’s escalating social media controversies, FOX’s approval process focused strictly on the ad’s content and website as they existed at the time of review.

In his latest series of posts, West also voiced his support for the release of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is currently incarcerated. The unexpected advocacy caught attention, as the two have had a tumultuous relationship in recent years. Despite their past conflicts, Combs acknowledged West’s plea, thanking him for his support.

"JUST FOR CLARITY THEY TRYING TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OUT OF PUFF ME AND MY BROTHER HAD OUR ISSUES BUT THESE WHITE PEOPLE TRYING TO USE PUFF TO SCARE N-GGAS IM NEITHER SCARED NOR BRAVE THIS JUST ME."

He further added, "I JUST FOUND OUT THAT PUFF IS NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE OR COLLECT MONEY WHILE HE'S LOCKED UP, SO I'MA SEND HIS HALF OF THE MONEY TO JUSTIN."

West’s statement surprised many, as Combs had previously criticized him in 2022 for being “tone deaf” after the release of his controversial White Lives Matter merchandise. However, it appears West has now extended an olive branch, publicly calling for Combs’ release in a series of social media posts.

Combs remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he faces multiple sex crime charges. The "Finna Get Loose" rapper has denied all allegations and has repeatedly failed in his attempts to secure bail.

Addressing West’s unexpected show of support, Combs expressed his gratitude after West publicly urged former President Donald Trump to "Free Puff." In a surprising development, West also revealed plans to launch a new Yeezy clothing line in collaboration with Combs' Sean John brand.

"Thank you to my brother @Ye," Combs wrote, sharing a link to the Yeezy website.