Kanye West Apologises For ‘Reckless’ Antisemitism In One-Page Wall Street Journal Ad
Kanye West has issued a lengthy apology to Jewish communities in a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal after years of sustained attacks and antisemitic rhetoric.
“I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst … I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” West wrote in the apology published over the weekend.
The rapper explained that a car crash 25 years ago left him with a broken jaw and damage to his frontal lobe, with the latter injury going undiagnosed and unnoticed until 2023.
“That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,” West wrote, adding that the diagnosis caused bouts of mania.
“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,” the rapper said.
Mental health complications prompted by the brain injury led West to “gravitate toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold t-shirts bearing it”, he said.
“[I] had poor judgment and reckless behaviour 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,” West wrote.
The rapper further explained that his apology and his mental health does not excuse his past behaviour.
“It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” West declared, adding that he is not asking for “sympathy” or a “free pass” but is prepared to “earn” forgiveness “as I find my way home”.
Elsewhere in the one-page ad, which West reportedly paid for himself, the rapper extended his apology to the Black community, saying it is the “foundation of who I am”.
“[The community] held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times … I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us,” West wrote.
It comes after years of direct attacks launched on Jewish and Black communities by the rapper, prompting widespread backlash from longtime fans and resulting in his social media pages being censored on multiple occasions.
In 2022, West wore a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt during a Paris fashion show, the same year he declared “death con 3” on Jewish people in a social media post.
Elsewhere, West promoted swastika t-shirts in a 2025 Superbowl commercial, released a song titled “Heil Hitler” — which was recently played by right wing influencers in a viral video — and spouted conspiracy theories about the Jewish community in the press.
West, who had been open about his bipolar disorder in his music, reportedly grew distant from former friends like Jay-Z and Kid Cudi at the height of his antisemitism.
West is currently in a relationship with Aussie Bianca Censori, with his former wife, Kim Kardashian, among those to call out the rapper’s controversial views.
Lead images: Getty Images
