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Mr. Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West, took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Monday apologizing again for past anti-Semitic comments.
Speaking directly to the black community and “the people I love most,” he blamed his erratic behavior on a car accident about 25 years ago, which he said caused trauma and contributed to what he called bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is typically characterized by frequent swings between “manic” and “depressive” states, often with periods of emotional stability in between.
During a manic episode, a person’s self-confidence may be exaggerated or distorted, their ability to control impulses may be reduced, and they may have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality. According to the Mayo Clinic. This is a lifelong condition and is often treated with therapy and medication.
Mr. Ye previously said that he suffered from bipolar disorder type I. claimed he was misdiagnosedand instead attributes some of his behavior to being autistic.
In the ad, Ye said her condition had caused her to “lose touch with reality” and was unable to understand or accept that she needed help even after her condition was identified.
Kanye West’s outburst of anti-Semitism and the rise in hate crimes are forcing the Jewish community to confront a wave of anti-Semitism while having difficult conversations inside and outside the synagogue.
“In that broken state, I gravitated towards the most subversive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts with it on it,” he wrote, adding that he was “deeply remorseful” for his actions and was now focused on healing and real change.
“But that doesn’t excuse what I did. I’m not a Nazi or an anti-Semite. I love Jews,” he wrote.
Mr. Yeh’s anti-Semitic comments over the years have been followed up with occasional apologies.
That includes appearing on the far-right talk show InfoWars in 2022 and saying people should “stop dissing Nazis.”
He was later suspended by X (then known as Twitter) for posting anti-Semitic remarks. He also posted an image of what appeared to be a Star of David with a swastika inside, praising Adolf Hitler. His account was reinstated about eight months later.
Many brands and organizations have since cut ties with him, including Gap, Adidas, Balenciaga and Creative Artists Agency.
In mid-2023, Ye said he would renounce his anti-Semitism after seeing a movie with actor Jonah Hill. 21 Jump Street. That performance “made me love Jews again,” he said.
Then, in December of the same year, he issued a new apology.
“I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” he said. he wrote on Instagram in Hebrew.
But then he returned to the same attacks, declaring last year that he was a Nazi and loved Hitler. He also tried to sell swastika T-shirts on his website. tried to release title track Heil Hitler.
Another apology followed: “Anti-Semitism is over,” Ye posted on X.
At the time, he blamed his divorce from celebrity Kim Kardashian and subsequent custody battle for his children on his actions.
Adidas has ended its partnership with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, due to recent offensive and anti-Semitic comments. The company is the latest to sever ties with Ye, including his talent agency CAA, Vogue magazine and fashion house Balenciaga.
His previous apologies have received a lukewarm response.
“We’re sorry, but we don’t support that,” a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League said. Speaking to Billboard after Ye’s 2025 apology. “We’ve seen Kanye attempt this type of apology and then backtrack again and again.”
In the ad, Ye tries to answer why he often apologizes before returning to his hateful comments, but also thanks his current partner Bianca Censoli for encouraging him to seek treatment.
“Bipolar disorder is not a constant state of mental illness. Once you’re manic, you’re sick at that point. When you’re not manic, you’re completely ‘normal,'” he writes.
“That’s when the remnants of my illness hit me the hardest. A few months ago, I was at rock bottom and my wife finally encouraged me to seek help.”
He ended his apology with a plea: “Daddy.”I felt nervous and understanding as I found my way home. ”