Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, issued an apology Monday for antisemitic remarks and his use of Nazi imagery, attributing his behavior to untreated mental health issues stemming from a prior brain injury.
In a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal's print edition, Ye acknowledged the harm he said he caused while struggling with his mental health.
The letter was directed "to those I've hurt" and focused on his mental health history, including a 2002 car accident that he said resulted in an undiagnosed frontal lobe injury.
"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," Ye wrote. "The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed."
Ye said the possibility of a frontal lobe injury was not considered at the time and that he was not diagnosed until 2023. He wrote that the delay contributed to severe mental health problems before he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
"The medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis," he said.
Describing the condition, Ye added that bipolar disorder can make "you feel like you're seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you're losing your grip entirely."
The apology follows years of inflammatory remarks and behavior.
In 2022, Ye publicly praised Adolf Hitler during an interview, saying he "liked" the Nazi leader, The Hill reported.
That same year, his account on X was temporarily suspended after he posted that he was "going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE."
He was suspended again later in 2022 after posting an image that combined a swastika with the Star of David.
In 2024, Shopify shut down an online store connected to Ye's website after it sold T-shirts displaying large swastika symbols.
Addressing that period, Ye wrote that he had lost contact with reality.
"In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika," he said.
He admitted to feeling regret for his actions and rejected accusations of extremist beliefs.
"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 that I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people," Ye wrote.
He also apologized to Black supporters, who he said had stood by him throughout his career.
"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 sorry to have let you down. I love us."
Ye said he sought treatment after reaching what he described as a personal low. He credited his wife, Bianca Censori, with encouraging him to get help and said he is now following a structured plan involving medication, therapy, exercise, and lifestyle changes, which he said have provided clarity.
Ye, who launched a short-lived presidential bid in 2020, said he plans to shift his focus back to creative work and producing "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," he wrote. "I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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