Kanye West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Monday to apologize for his previous antisemitic statements, saying that medical issues influenced his behavior and that he “lost touch with reality.”
West ― who has been using the name “Ye Ye” in business documents since July and went by “Ye” for four years before that ― titled the apology ad “To Those I’ve Hurt.” In the ad, the rapper goes to great lengths to stress that, despite his past comments, he is “not a Nazi or an antisemite” and loves Jewish people.
The advertisement was posted to social media by HuffPost editor Philip Lewis. In it, West explains that he was in a car accident 25 years ago that broke his jaw and injured his right frontal lobe, but says his condition wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023.
“That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,” West says, before adding that the disorder “comes with its own defence system. Denial.”
He explains that “when you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”
“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret,” he continues. “Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to love someone who was, at times, unrecognisable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self.”
In his new ad, West explains his streak of antisemitic and inflammatory behavior in early 2025, which included promoting swastika T-shirts during the Super Bowl and going on a social media rampage in which he posted pornography, criticized fellow musicians Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, and praised billionaire Elon Musk, whom he said “stole my Nazi swag.”
In his “fractured state,” West says, he “gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold t-shirts bearing it.”
He then expresses regret for his actions and says he is “deeply mortified” and “committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change.”
“It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” he adds.
West also addresses the Black community, which he says “held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times,” and writes, “I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.”
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West then credits his wife, Bianca Censori, for encouraging him “to finally get help.” He says he also found comfort in Reddit forums.
“Different people speak of being in manic or depressive episodes of a similar nature,” West says. “I read their stories and realised that I was not alone.”
He concludes by writing, “I am pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world.”
“I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
West previously apologized for his antisemitic comments in 2023, only to start them up again a short time later. He issued another apology in May.
A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League told NBC News on Monday that West’s apology to Jewish people is “long overdue and doesn’t automatically undo his long history of antisemitism — the antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas and myriad Holocaust references — and all of the feelings of hurt and betrayal it caused.”
The “truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future,” the spokesperson said. “We wish him well on the road to recovery.”
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