0
0
Controversial rapper Kanye West has publicly apologized for his history of “reckless” antisemitic remarks, attributing his behavior to an undiagnosed brain injury and long-standing mental health challenges.
Over the years, West—also known as Ye—has made several antisemitic and racist statements. In one instance, he declared himself a Nazi and praised Adolf Hitler.
In a full-page advertisement published Monday in The Wall Street Journal titled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” West wrote: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” he added.
West said the right frontal lobe of his brain was injured in a car accident 25 years ago, noting that the injury was not properly diagnosed until 2023. According to him, the medical oversight severely affected his mental health and contributed to his bipolar type-1 diagnosis.
“I lost touch with reality,” he wrote, adding that he became “detached from my true self.”
“In that fractured state, I gravitated towards the most destructive symbol I could find—the swastika—and even sold T-shirts bearing it,” West said, referring to the symbol associated with Nazi Germany and modern white supremacist groups.
He revealed that he experienced a four-month manic episode marked by psychotic, paranoid, and impulsive behavior in early 2025, before hitting “rock bottom” a few months later. At the encouragement of his wife, Bianca Censori, he said he sought professional help.
West said he has since found “a new baseline and a new center” through medication, therapy, exercise, and what he described as clean living.
“I’m not asking for sympathy or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness,” he wrote. “I write today to simply ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.” West is set to release a new album on Friday.
In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League said it documented at least 30 antisemitic incidents nationwide that directly referenced West.
The rapper has issued apologies in the past. In a December 2023 Instagram post written in Hebrew, he said: “It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”
However, he later reversed course during a February tirade on X, writing in part: “I’m never apologizing for my Jewish comments.”
