Ye takes out Wall Street Journal ad to once again apologize for anti-Semitism

Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West, took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Monday to again apologize for his past anti-Semitic statements.

Speaking directly to the black community and “the people I love most,” he attributed his erratic behavior to a car accident about 25 years ago that caused traumatic injuries and contributed to what he calls bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is typically characterized by frequent vacillations between “manic” and “depressive” states, often accompanied by prolonged periods of emotional stability in between.

When in a manic state, a person may have an inflated or distorted sense of self-confidence, a reduced ability to control impulses, or experience difficulty discerning fantasy from reality. according to the Mayo Clinic. It is a lifelong condition, often treated with therapy and medication.

Ye has previously said he has bipolar type I, although he also has claimed he was misdiagnosedand instead attributed some of his behavior to autism.

Ye said in the announcement that he had “lost touch with reality” due to his condition and was unable to understand or accept that he needed help even after it was identified.

“In this fractured state, I turned to the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold t-shirts bearing it,” he wrote, further claiming that he was “deeply mortified” by his actions and is now committed to treatment and real change.

“However, this does not excuse what I did. I am neither a Nazi nor an anti-Semite. I love the Jewish people,” he wrote.

Ye’s anti-Semitic remarks over the years have been followed by occasional apologies.

They include an appearance on the far-right talk show InfoWars in 2022, where he said people should “stop criticizing Nazis”.

He was later suspended from X (then known as Twitter) for posting anti-Semitic statements. He also posted an image showing a Star of David with a swastika inside and praised Adolf Hitler. His account was reinstated approximately eight months later.

Many brands and organizations subsequently severed ties with him, including Gap, Adidas, Balenciaga and Creative Artists Agency.

In mid-2023, Ye said he renounced anti-Semitism after seeing actor Jonah Hill in 21, rue Jump. This performance, he said, made him “like the Jewish people again.”

Then, in December, he issued another apology.

“I truly regret any pain I may have caused,” he said. wrote on Instagram in Hebrew.

But he then returned to the same attacks, declaring last year that he was a Nazi and that he loved Hitler. He also tried selling swastika T-shirts on his website and tried to free a piece titled Hello Hitler.

More apologies followed: “I’m done with anti-Semitism,” Ye posted on X.

At the time, he blamed his actions on his divorce from celebrity Kim Kardashian and the subsequent custody battle over his children.

His previous apologies were met with lukewarm responses.

“Sorry, but we don’t believe it,” said a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League. told Billboard after Ye’s 2025 apology. “We’ve seen this kind of attempted apology from Kanye before, only for him to back away again and again.”

In his ad, Ye attempts to explain why he frequently apologizes before returning to hateful rhetoric, while also thanking his current partner – Bianca Censori – for encouraging him to seek treatment.

“Having bipolar disorder is not a state of constant mental illness. When you go into a manic episode, you are sick in that moment. When you are not in an episode, you are completely ‘normal,'” he wrote.

“And that’s when the damage caused by the disease hits hardest. Hitting rock bottom a few months ago, my wife encouraged me to finally seek help.”

He ended his apology with a plea for “paknowledge and understanding as I find my way home.