Kanye West faced mix public reactions to the full-page letter he published in The Wall Street Journal Monday, in which he apologized for years of antisemitic statements and attributed his troubling, erratic behavior to untreated bipolar disorder and to a 2002 car accident that caused a brain injury and long-unnoticed mental health damage.
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” wrote West, the controversial rapper and producer who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021. “I love Jewish people.”
In a follow-up interview with Vanity Fair, West also addressed some — but not all –of people’s concerns about the timing and intentions of his apology, insisting his letter, which was published as a full-page ad, was not a PR move or “about reviving my commerciality,” ahead of the release of his new album, “Bully.”
“This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit,” West told Vanity Fair in a written statement. “I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular.”
Following the publication of West’s letter, many clocked the fact that the rapper indeed has a new album coming out soon. They also pointed out that he previously issued a brief apology in December 2023 to deny being antisemitic and to apologize “for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” including professing a love for Adolf Hitler. That apology came a month before his “Vultures 1” album was released in early 2024.
Then, a year later, West took back that apology, declared himself a Nazi, again pledged his love for Hitler and began selling T-shirts decorated with swastikas, the New York Times reported.
Others also brought up how West previously blamed a viral 2022 X post, in which he said he was going to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” on drinking — specifically Hennessy cognac.
Wariness about West’s statement of remorse also has come from leaders in the Jewish community.
A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement on Monday that West’s apology to the Jewish people was long overdue but did not undo his long and extensive history of antisemitism, the New York Times reported. “The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future,” the spokesman said.
Avinoam Patt, a professor of Holocaust studies and the director of New York University’s Center for the Study of Antisemitism, echoed the view of many who were wary about West’s is choice to blame his antisemitism on mental illness.
“I think what’s important to say is that the vast majority of people who have mental health issues, or specifically have bipolar disorder, don’t espouse antisemitic or racist ideas,” Patt told Vanity Fair. “And I’ll just say I’m skeptical because we now have a pattern that goes back years of antisemitic rants that reinforce harmful, dangerous stereotypes about Jews.”
Patt, a self-described fan of West’s music, before he went “off the rails,” also told Vanity Fair that West should expect that it will take “years” for him to him to regain the public’s trust on this issue.
“I guess this is a start,” Patt said. “But it would be most important to follow up with meaningful actions (and perhaps even new music) that conveys his newfound dedication to creating ‘positive, meaningful art.’”
In his interview with Vanity Fair, West credited his wife, artist and architectural designer Bianca Censori, with recognizing that he needed a new medication regimen, which he said he found while staying at a rehab facility in Switzerland. West also shares four children, North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
West also immediately rejected the idea that he’s hoping to release new music and operate his other businesses without people thinking he’s antisemitic.
“It’s my understanding that I was in the top 10 most listened-to artists overall in the US on Spotify in 2025, and last week and most days as well,” West said. “My upcoming album, ‘Bully,’ is currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album on Spotify too. My 2007 album, ‘Graduation,’ was also the most listened-to and streamed hip-hop album of 2025. This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality.”
West acknowledged that his erratic, troubling behavior “went too far,” especially during a four-month-period in 2025 when he stopped taking medication for his bipolar 1 disorder. He told Vanity Fair: “As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It’s important that they realize and understand what side of history that I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.”
Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition characterized by alternating periods of mania and deep depression, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It can disrupt daily life, affect energy levels, sleep, thinking and decision-making and be accompanied by psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions. Treatment generally involves a life-long combination of therapy and medication that is used to stabilize mood and alleviate psychosis.
While bipolar disorder is believed to be caused by a combination of factors, including genetic vulnerability, brain chemistry imbalances and environmental stressors, West said that his condition stemmed from a brain injury he suffered in a well-documented 2022 car accident.
Bennet Omalu, the Sacramento-based neuropathologist who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players, told Vanity Fair it’s possible that a traumatic brain injury, as West described, can “result in a variety of behavioral, cognitive, and mood disorders.” Omalu also said he wasn’t commenting on West specifically.
In his ad, West said his “long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” in 2025 “destroyed my life.” That’s when he took back his 2023 apology and released his song, “Heil Hitler.” Also in 2025, West was sued by a former employee of his Yeezy fashion design business, who alleged in a complaint that he threatened her because she was Jewish and fired her one day after she reported his alleged conduct to her supervisor, People reported. Moreover, his talent agent dropped him after he shared another antisemitic rant and defended Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently in prison after being convicted on two prostitution-related charges in July.
In his letter, West said that his mental illness persuaded him that he was not sick but “powerful” and “unstoppable.”
“Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret,” he continued. “Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst.”
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