Ahead of the release of a new album, controversial rapper Kanye West—now known as “Ye”— is apologizing “to those I’ve hurt” through “poor judgment and reckless behavior.” The 48-year-old musician and clothing designer, who has a history of making antisemitic and inflammatory statements, paid for a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Monday (Jan. 26), saying he’s working toward “meaningful change.”
In the apology letter, Ye explained that a 2002 car crash injured “the right frontal lobe of my brain.” Medical staff overlooked that internal injury, according to Ye, eventually leading to his 2023 diagnosis of bipolar disorder type 1. That mental illness puts you in “denial,” thinking that “you don’t need help,” he wrote. “I said and did things I deeply regret.”
RELATED: ‘God Is Using Me,’ Says Kanye West in Defense of His Antisemitism
Although mental illness doesn’t “excuse what I did,” Ye continued, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.” The musician, who is Black, also apologized to the Black community, writing, “I am so sorry to have let you down.”
Ye Wants ‘To Earn Your Forgiveness’
Ye, whose albums include “Jesus Is King,” has won 24 Grammy Awards and three GMA Dove Awards. He has four children with ex-wife Kim Kardashian and once described having “dominion” over his current partner, Bianca Censori.
During the past few years, the rapper has veered in numerous directions, from leading “Sunday Service” performances and calling himself God to running for president, penning explicit lyrics, and saying he’ll launch a porn studio. Last spring, Ye released the song “Heil Hitler,” which sampled a speech from the German dictator. The rapper’s clothing line also featured swastika T-shirts.
In this week’s apology, Ye wrote, “In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.” At times, he admitted, he had no desire to live. Ye credited Censori with encouraging him to seek help, saying he now follows “an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise, and clean living.”
“I have found comfort in Reddit forums of all places,” Ye continued. “I read [people’s] stories and realized that I was not alone.” Now that the musician has “much-needed clarity,” he wrote, “I am pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world.”
Ye said he doesn’t want “sympathy, or a free pass.” Instead, “I aspire to earn your forgiveness,” he wrote, asking people for “patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
Ahead of the release of a new album, controversial rapper Kanye West—now known as “Ye”— is apologizing “to those I’ve hurt” through “poor judgment and reckless behavior.”Click to Post
