Kanye West has apologized to Black and Jewish communities following years of promoting seemingly racist and antisemitic beliefs.
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“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst,” the 48-year-old, who now goes by Ye, wrote in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal.
“You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self,” the rapper and mogul added.
“In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it,” the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” hittmaker continued.
West, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, said his illness leads to “poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body experience.”
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” Ye added.
“It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” the veteran rapper insisted.
Kanye West Says He Wants to ‘Earn’ Forgiveness
The “Runaway” rapper also thanked the Black community, saying they “held [him] down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times.”
“The black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us,” he wrote. “My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that.”
Ye said he is not “asking for sympathy, or a free pass.” He claims he wants to “earn” forgiveness.
“I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,” West wrote.
West revealed in his letter that he wasn’t diagnosed until 2023, over 20 years after sustaining a brain injury in a car crash.
“That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,” Ye wrote.
“The scariest thing about this disorder is how persuasive it is when it tells you: You don’t need help. It makes you blind, but convinced you have insight. You feel powerful, certain, unstoppable,” West admitted.
Of course, in recent years, West has been at the center of several controversies. These include wearing a black Ku Klux Klan hood to his Vultures listening party, promoting swastika T-shirts in a 2025 Super Bowl ad, and releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler.”