Kanye West Takes Out Full-Page Ad to Apologize for Anti-Semitism & Swastika Use

Kanye West took out a page in the Wall Street Journal to apologize for his past actions, including anti-Semitic rants and use of the swastika symbol on his merchandise. The rapper confirmed that he is now getting help for his bipolar disorder after nearly “hitting rock bottom” in 2025.

The rapper began his letter by referencing his 2002 car accident, which left him with both physical and mental damage. As he pointed out, the physical damage has been widely documented, but the injury to his right frontal lobe “went widely unnoticed” over the years. Ye explained that he did not receive a proper diagnosis until 2023, which ultimately led to “serious damage to [his] mental health” and a bipolar type-1 diagnosis.

“Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial,” West explained. “When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You think you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”

Ye explained that bipolar disorder is “persuasive when it tells you you don’t need help. It makes you blind, but convinced you have insight. You feel powerful, certain, and unstoppable.” He admitted to “[losing] touch with reality” and said things only “got worse” as he continued to ignore the problem.

“I said and did things I deeply regret,” he continued. “Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to love someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self.”

West said that in his “fractured state,” he “gravitated toward the most destructive symbol [he] could find, the swastika.” He revealed that he “still cannot recall” many of the “disconnected moments” that resulted from his bipolar disorder, noting that these led to “poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body experience.”

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He then issued his apology, writing, “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”

He specifically apologized to the Black community: “I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.”

Perhaps the most daunting part of the essay, though, was when West revealed what he went through in early 2025. “I fell into a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid, and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life,” he shared. “As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here anymore.” He confirmed that his rock bottom hit “a few months ago,” at which point his wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to get help.

West concluded, “As I find my new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise, and clean living, I have newfound, much-needed clarity. I am pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world. I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”