Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is making another bid for amends with a new apology published in The Wall Street Journal. The ad, which ran in Monday’s print edition as the backpage to section A, is addressed to “Those I Hurt,” and comes several months after the rapper and mogul apologized for his antisemitic behavior in a post shared on X.
The new lengthy apology attempts to explain his ever-changing controversial values that’s placed the Grammy winner at the center of a roller coaster of controversies over the past few years. A growing list of professional partners have cut ties with him — including Adidas, Balenciaga, and the talent agent CAA — after he repeatedly made antisemitic remarks.
According to Ye, it all dates back to the 2002 car accident that left him with a shattered jaw. “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,” he wrote of the incident. “At the time, the focus was on the visible damage–the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.”
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Ye claimed that neurological tests were “limited” in the aftermath of the accident, saying that the “possibility of a frontal-lobe injury” never came up. Noting that he was not properly diagnosed until 2023, the father of four wrote that he believes this injury contributed to his struggle with bipolar I disorder, with which he was officially diagnosed in 2016 and shared with the public in 2018.
“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,” Ye wrote. “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.”
The rapper goes on to describe the symptoms of bipolar disorder, noting how “persuasive” the condition can feel: “You feel powerful, certain, unstoppable,” he explained. “The idea that you might need help is almost impossible to accept.”
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“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem,” Ye acknowledged. “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 have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self.”
Ye’s erratic behavior grew more and more intense in the public eye, especially over the past several months. He called Adolf Hitler “fresh” on social media last February, and his website selling swastika-covered shirts was shut down that same month. In May, he claimed that his new song “Heil Hitler” was “banned by all digital streaming platforms.”
He’s gone on record praising Sean “Diddy” Combs after the entertainer was arrested in 2024 over abuse and sex trafficking allegations, courted criticism for attending the Grammys with wife Bianca Censori dressed in a nearly nude sheer dress on the red carpet, and attacked Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and their youngest children, twins Rumi and Sir in now-deleted posts viewed by EW.
The rapper’s relationships and personal life has frayed over the years, most notably with John Legend, who once called Ye a close friend and collaborated with Ye on his 2004 album, The College Dropout, and with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. His split from Kardashian came years after his bipolar disorder diagnosis, in 2021. West married Australian architectural designer Bianca Censori in 2022.
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Addressing these incidents in his apology, Ye wrote that in his “fractured state” he “gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika.”
“One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments — many of which I still cannot recall — that led to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience,” he claimed. “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.”
Ye went on to apologize to multiple communities he’s wronged in the ad, declaring that he is “not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
He also directly addressed the Black community, writing, “To the black community — which held me 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.”
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The rapper shared that his recent revelation was inspired by “a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.” He explained that he found solace by discovering community in Reddit forums, “of all places.”
“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,'” 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 concluded his apology by telling readers that he’s finding his “new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise, and clean living.”
“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,” he wrote, signing off “with love.”
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It’s worth noting that Ye’s moments of clarity and apologies are usually followed by the release of new music or a new project. His previously announced 12th studio album, Bully, is currently slated for release on Friday. Ye revealed the project in September 2024 and it has been delayed several times, with five tracks released as singles through two EPs in June 2025.