'Love...Jewish people': Ye aka Kanye West apologizes for antisemitic behavior
What's the story
In a surprising turn of events, rapper Ye (Kanye West) has taken out a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal to apologize for his past antisemitic behavior. In the letter titled "To Those I've Hurt," he said, "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people." He attributed his inflammatory actions to his bipolar-1 disorder and blamed it on medical oversight that failed to diagnose a frontal-lobe injury from a 2002 car crash.
Mental health struggles
Ye's bipolar disorder led him to 'lose touch with reality'
Ye revealed that his bipolar disorder made him "lose touch with reality," leading him to gravitate toward "the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika." He confessed to treating his loved ones "the worst," saying they "endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was...unrecognizable." He also apologized to the Black community for his controversial comments on slavery and wearing a T-shirt that read "White Lives Matter."
Controversial history
Ye's past actions and their consequences
Despite apologizing to the Jewish community in 2023, Ye continued his controversial behavior. In February 2025, he started selling T-shirts with swastikas on Shopify, which led to the platform removing his webstore. He also released a song titled Heil Hitler in May that sampled a speech by Adolf Hitler and praised him. The track was banned in Germany for hate speech, but went viral online.
Recovery process
Ye's journey to recovery and plea for understanding
After hitting rock bottom, Ye's wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to seek help. He wrote that he found comfort in Reddit forums where people shared similar experiences with manic or depressive episodes. He wrote that medication, therapy, exercise, and "clean living" have helped him find clarity. "I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home," he concluded the letter.