By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES, Jan 26 (Reuters) – American rapper and record producer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal on Monday to apologize for antisemitic remarks that drew years of backlash.
“I lost touch with reality,” Ye wrote in the ad, attributing his behavior to an undiagnosed brain injury and an 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.
Ye also voiced regrets for past expressions of admiration for Adolf Hitler and the use of swastika imagery.
The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitism, issued a statement describing his apology as overdue and noting his prior antisemitic remarks.
“Ye’s apology to the 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,” an ADL spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.
“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,” the statement added.
Ye’s next album, “Bully,” is due out on Friday, according to the Spotify website.
The rapper referred in the full-page ad to his struggles with his mood disorder over the years.
“Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. 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,” he wrote.
Ye wrote that 25 years ago he was in a car accident that caused significant brain damage that he said wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. He added that the medical oversight caused mental health problems that led to his bipolar type-1 diagnosis.
The songwriter said that being in “a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” in early 2025 destroyed his life.
Ye added that he “hit rock bottom a few months ago” and had thoughts of not wanting “to be here anymore.”
The “Gold Digger” rapper also addressed the Black community with both appreciation and more apologies. He said it was “unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.”
The “Stronger” rapper previously said he was on the autism spectrum rather than having a bipolar disorder. However, looking through Reddit posts of other “manic” people helped him feel “not alone” and understand that he has a chronic mood disorder.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Howard Goller)
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