Ye, the US rapper and record producer known as Kanye West, has taken out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, expressing regret for years of antisemitic behavior.
In the ad, he wrote that he “lost touch with reality” and blamed his actions on an undiagnosed brain injury from a 2002 car crash andย untreated bipolar disorder.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am 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 added.
Rapper says manic episodes from bipolar disorder influenced him
His apology follows global backlash over repeated antisemitic statements and his 2025 release of a song titled “Heil Hitler,” which was banned from major streaming platforms and saw his visa to travel to Australia denied.ย
In his ad entitled “To Those I’ve Hurt,”ย the rapper referred to his struggles with his mood disorder over the years.
The songwriter said that being in โa four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” in early 2025 destroyed โ his life.
“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,” West wrote.
He also expressed regrets forย past expressions of admiration for Adolf Hitler and โthe use of swastika imagery.
Ye’s previous apologyย
It is not the first time he has apologized. In 2023, he apologized to Jews for having said “I love Nazis.” But he then resumed some of his behavior.ย
Ye said he endured a four-month manic episode in early 2025, hit “rock bottom,” and recently had thoughts of not wanting “to be here anymore.”
The Anti-Defamation League called the apology overdue, saying it does not undo the harm caused.
“The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future. We wish him well on the road to recovery,” an ADL spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.
Ye also apologized to the Black community and his family.ย
In 2022, he caused outrage by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter,” seen as a racist insult to the Black Lives Matter movement, and by attending a dinner with Donald Trump that included the white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes.
Spotify lists Ye’s next album, Bully, for release on Friday.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru