SEATTLE, Wash. (Diya TV) — Ye, the hip-hop artist and fashion entrepreneur formerly known as Kanye West, issued a sweeping new apology this week for years of antisemitic remarks and behavior, saying an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated mental illness contributed to what he called a prolonged period of reckless and destructive conduct.
The apology appeared Monday as a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal, titled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” and was paid for by Ye’s Yeezy brand. In the open letter, Ye said he is “deeply mortified” by his past actions and insisted he is “not a Nazi or an antisemite.”
“I love Jewish people,” he wrote, adding that he is committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change.
Ye attributed much of his behavior to a car accident 25 years ago that, he said, injured the right frontal lobe of his brain. According to the letter, the neurological damage went undiagnosed until 2023, a delay he says contributed to a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder and years of untreated mental health struggles.
“I lost touch with reality,” Ye wrote in the advertisement. “Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret.”
In recent years, Ye has repeatedly drawn condemnation for antisemitic and racist statements. In February, he posted a series of messages on X declaring himself a Nazi and praising Adolf Hitler. In 2022, he said he would go “death con 3” on Jewish people, remarks that led to widespread backlash and his suspension from social media platforms at the time. He has also acknowledged selling merchandise bearing a swastika, a symbol associated with Nazi Germany and modern white supremacist movements.
In the Wall Street Journal letter, Ye described gravitating toward “the most destructive symbol I could find” during what he called a “fractured state” of mind. He said he experienced a four-month manic episode in early 2025 marked by “psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” that ultimately led him to what he described as rock bottom.
“As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here anymore,” he wrote, adding that his wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to seek help.
Ye said he is now following what he described as an effective regimen of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living, which has helped him establish what he called a “new baseline.” He also cited research from the World Health Organization and the University of Cambridge on the seriousness of bipolar disorder, noting its impact on life expectancy.
The apology arrives after years of professional fallout. Several major companies severed ties with Ye following his remarks, most notably Adidas, which ended its lucrative Yeezy sneaker partnership in 2022. He was also dropped by his talent agency in 2025 after another antisemitic rant on X.
Jewish advocacy groups responded cautiously. The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that Ye’s apology was “long overdue” but stressed that words alone are not enough. The organization has previously documented at least 30 antisemitic incidents nationwide that it said directly referenced Ye following his earlier comments.
“The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future,” an ADL spokesperson said, adding that the group wishes him well on his recovery.
Ye has apologized before, including in a 2023 Instagram post written in Hebrew, though he later reversed course and said he would never apologize for his comments. In Monday’s letter, he acknowledged that contradiction and said he is not asking for sympathy or a free pass.
“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.”
Ye is scheduled to release a new album later this week, marking his return to music amid renewed scrutiny of whether his latest apology signals lasting change.
