Kanye West reveals devastating health battle and apologizes for antisemitism in extraordinary full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal
Kanye West has apologized for his antisemitic rants as he detailed how his bipolar disorder caused him to lose ‘touch with reality’ in a page-long advertisement published in the Wall Street Journal.
West’s hateful messages about the Jewish people have sparked outrage and condemnation, however this past year he has been issuing apologies over the vile statements.
His latest statement attributes his behavior to the effects of his health battle, one which he says was caused by a 2002 car accident.
In a statement published in the January 26 print edition of the WSJ, West alleged he sustained a brain injury during the accident that went ‘unnoticed’ at the time – with the ‘medical oversight’ sparking his bipolar disorder.
West, 48, said the illness made him ‘detached from my true self’ and caused him to be drawn ‘toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika.’
The advertisement, which was paid for by Yeezy and authored by West, was headlined ‘To Those I Hurt’ and described how, after ‘hitting rock bottom’ several months ago, he decided to seek help at the encouragement of his wife, Bianca Censori.
Kanye West has issued another apology for his antisemitic outbursts in a page-long advertisement published in the Wall Street Journal
West alleges a 2002 car accident he was in ultimately led to his bipolar disorder; pictured 2002
‘Twenty-five years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain,’ the advertisement begins. ‘At the time, the focus was on the visible damage – the fracture, the swelling, the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.
‘Comprehensive scans were not done, neurological exams were limited, and the possibility of a frontal-lobe injury was never raised. It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.
‘Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.
‘Once people label you as “crazy”, you feel as if you cannot contribute anything meaningful to the world. It’s easy for people to joke and laugh it off when in fact this is a very serious debilitating disease you can die from. According to the World Health Organization and Cambridge University, people with bipolar disorder have a life expectancy that is shortened by ten to fifteen years on average, and a 2x-3x higher all-cause mortality rate than the general population.
‘This is on par with severe heart disease, type-1 diabetes, HIV, and cancer – all lethal and fatal if left untreated.
‘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, and unstoppable.
‘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. 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’s hateful messages about the Jewish people have sparked outrage and condemnation, however this past year he has been issuing apologies over the vile statements (pictured May 2025)
The statement was published in the January 26 print edition of the WSJ
His latest statement attributes the messages to the effects of his mental illness
‘In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold t-shirts bearing it. One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments – many of which I still cannot recall – that lead 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. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or antisemite. I love Jewish people.
‘To the black community – which held me down through all of the highs and lows and 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.
‘In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life. As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here anymore.
‘Having bipolar disorder is not a state of constant mental illness. When you go through the manic episode, you are ill at that point. When you are not in an episode, you are completely “normal.” And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest. Hitting rock bottom a few months ago, my wife encouraged me to finally get help.
‘I have found comfort in Reddit forums of all places. Different people speak of being in manic or depressive episodes of a similar nature. I read their stories and realized that I was not alone. It’s not just me who ruins their entire life once a year despite taking meds every day and being told by the so-called best doctors in the world that I am not bipolar, but merely experiencing “symptoms of autism.”
‘My words as a leader in my community have real global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that.
‘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.’
West said he finally sought help at the encouragement of his wife, Bianca Censori
The message was signed off by West and indicated the advertisement had been ‘Paid for by Yeezy’ along with an email for the CFO of Yeezy.
The Anti-Defamation League responded to West’s apology in a statement obtained by The Daily Mail.
‘Ye’s apology to the Jewish people is long overdue and doesn’t automatically undo his long history of antisemitism – the antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas and myriad Holocaust references – and all of the feelings of hurt and betrayal it caused. The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future. We wish him well on the road to recovery,’ an ADL spokesperson said.
Ye’s string of antisemitic remarks began in late 2022, including a tweet that he was planning to go ‘death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.’
He embraced conspiracy theories that ‘Jewish people’ control the media, the music industry and finances, saying, ‘The Jewish media blocked me out. This is not hate speech, this is the truth.’
He also praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis.
His remarks prompted Adidas, Balenciaga and his talent agency CAA, to stop doing business with him in 2022.
Most recently, the rapper released a song entitled ‘Heil Hitler.’
Ye attributing his rants to bipolar disorder comes as a curveball in his evolving understanding of his mental health condition.
He said for years that he struggled with bipolar until asserting last winter that he had been misdiagnosed and has autism, instead.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings between periods of high energy, known as mania, and low-energy, or depression.
It is often referred to as manic depression.
