Civil rights activists are applauding news that Kid Rock won't renew the licensing agreement for his Made in Detroit restaurant. The announcement Wednesday by the owners of the Detroit sports arena that houses the eatery comes after the singer and musician was recently filmed delivering a vulgarity-laced rant against Oprah Winfrey.
Apparent cellphone video obtained by TMZ shows the singer, who was born Robert Ritchie, onstage last month at his steakhouse in Nashville, Tennessee, using graphic language to convey his dislike of Winfrey and Joe Behar, co-host of ABC's "The View" talk show.
An activist group criticized Ilitch Holdings for allowing the Kid Rock's Made in Detroit to ever open in Little Caesars Arena and called on the company to replace it with "a culturally competent, unapologetically black-owned restaurant."
"We're here to send a clear-cut message, and that is: 'Thank you. See you later, Kid Rock,'" the Rev. Charles Williams II told reporters Wednesday across the street from the arena.
"We don't need no hate-mongering, racist statements representing the city of Detroit through the personhood of Kid Rock. And so, we're glad that Kid Rock is going," said Williams, president of the National Action Network's Michigan chapter. He called Ritchie's rant in Nashville "unacceptable."
In a Facebook post, Ritchie, who opened the arena with a concert in 2017, confirms that he "will not be renewing my licensing agreement for my Made In Detroit Restaurant this April."
"I may be guilty of being a loud mouth jerk at times, but trying to label me racist is a joke, and actually only does a disservice to the black community, which I have supported my entire life, by trying to alienate myself and many others," he wrote.
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