Kanye West takes out ad in Wall Street Journal to, once again, apologize for antisemitism
Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West, on Monday took out a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal to again apologize for his past antisemitic statements. Directly addressing the Black community and “the people I love the most,” he attributed his erratic behaviour to a car crash about 25 years ago, which caused traumatic injuries and contributed to what he says is bipolar disoder. Bipolar disorder is usually characterized by frequent vacillation between "manic" and "depressive" states, often with sustained periods of emotional stability inbetween. When in a manic state, a person may have an inflated or distorted sense of self-confidence, a reduced ability to control their impulses or experience difficulty discerning fantasy from reality according to the Mayo Clinic. It is a lifelong condition, often treated with therapy and medication.Ye has previously said he has bipolar type-I, though he has also claimed he was misdiagnosed, and has instead attributed some of his behaviour to having autism. Ye said in the ad that he “lost touch with reality,” because of his condition and was unable to understand or accept he needed help even after it was identified.WATCH | Community facing more antisemitism:Kanye West’s antisemitic outburst combined with a rise in hate crimes have forced the Jewish community to confront this wave of antisemitism with difficult conversations inside and outside the synagogue.“In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold t-shirts bearing it,” he wrote, further stating he is “deeply mortified” by his actions, and is now committed to treatment and true change.“It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” he wrote.Ye’s antisemitic remarks over the years have been followed by occasional apologies. They include an appearance on the far-right InfoWars talk show in 2022, when he said people should “stop dissing the Nazis.” He was subsequently suspended from X (then known as Twitter) for posting antisemitic statements. He also posted an image that appeared to show a Star of David with a swastika inside of it, and praised Adolf Hitler. His account was reinstated roughly eight months later. A slew of brands and organizations subsequently cut ties with him, including the Gap, Adidas, Balenciaga and Creative Artists Agency.In mid-2023, Ye said he was renouncing antisemitism after seeing actor Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street. That performance, he said, made him “like Jewish people again.”Then, that December, he released another apology."I very much regret any pain I may have caused," he wrote on Instagram in Hebrew.But he later returned to the same attacks, declaring last year that he was a Nazi and that he loved Hitler. He also tried selling swastika T-shirts on his website and attempted to release a track titled Heil Hitler. Another apology followed: “I am done with antisemitism,” Ye posted on X.At the time, he blamed his actions on his divorce from celebrity Kim Kardashian, and the subsequent custody battle for his children. WATCH | Adidas parts ways with Ye:Adidas has ended its partnership with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, over his recent offensive and antisemitic remarks. It's just the latest company to sever ties with Ye, including his talent agency, CAA, Vogue magazine and the Balenciaga fashion house.His previous apologies have been met with some lukewarm responses. “Sorry, but we’re not buying it,” a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League told Billboard after Ye's 2025 apology. “We’ve seen this kind of attempted apology from Kanye before, only for him to back down over and over again.”In his ad, Ye attempts to answer why he frequently apologizes before returning to hateful rhetoric, while also thanking his current partner — Bianca Censori — for encouraging him to seek treatment.“Having bipolar disorder is not a state of constant mental illness. When you go into the manic episode, you are ill at that point. When you are not in an episode, you are completely ‘normal,’” he wrote. “And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest. Hitting rock bottom a few months ago, my wife encouraged me to finally get help.” He ended the apology with a plea for “patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
