Ye’s Full-Page Apology: ‘Not a Nazi or Antisemite’
Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, has issued a dramatic apology for his antisemitic antics and Nazi imagery shocker. In a full-page ad titled “To Those I’ve Hurt” in the Wall Street Journal, the rapper claimed his behaviour was linked to a brain injury from a car crash 20 years ago.
Ye insists he is “not a Nazi or an antisemite” and that he loves Jewish people. The apology follows controversy over his 2025 track “Heil Hitler” — a song featuring Nazi speeches that was banned in Germany but caused a viral storm online.
Car Crash, Bipolar Disorder and a Manic Episode
Ye traced his shocking conduct back to a 2002 crash that broke his jaw and injured his right frontal lobe — a brain injury that went undiagnosed until last year. This “medical oversight,” he says, led to his bipolar type-1 diagnosis in 2016.
The rapper revealed a brutal four-month manic episode in early 2025, filled with psychotic, paranoid, and impulsive behaviour. He confessed it “destroyed” his life and brought suicidal thoughts. He credited his Australian wife, architect Bianca Censori, for encouraging him to seek help after hitting “rock bottom.”
Ye candidly described bipolar disorder’s “defence system” of 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.”
Regrets and Rebuilding
The rapper admitted he’d gravitated toward “the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika,” even selling T-shirts with the emblem in 2025, forcing Shopify to pull his online store.
Ye apologised to his family for the “fear, confusion, humiliation” they endured and to the Black community, calling it “the foundation of who I am,” after previous contentious remarks about slavery and his “White Lives Matter” T-shirt stunt.
He also owned up to past Holocaust denial and promised he was now focusing on “positive, meaningful art” through medication, therapy, exercise, and “clean living.”
Closing his statement, Ye pleaded:
“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.”
Background: Far-Right Fans and Viral Nazi Saloons
This apology comes days after far-right figures like Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes were seen doing Nazi salutes to Ye’s controversial “Heil Hitler” track during a Miami Beach club night. The song, released in May 2025, sampled Hitler speeches praising the dictator, sparking outrage and official bans abroad.
Ye’s full letter lays bare his mental health struggles and attempts at redemption. Only time will tell if the public accepts his explanation.
