Kanye West has apologized for his antisemitic behavior, but one group dedicated to combating bigotry isn’t letting the rapper get off that easily.
“Ye’s apology to the Jewish people is long overdue and doesn’t automatically undo his long history of antisemitism — the antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas and myriad Holocaust references — and all of the feelings of hurt and betrayal it caused,” a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League told Luxury Handbag Shopping.
They went on to say, “The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future. We wish him well on the road to recovery.”
West, 48, took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, January 26, detailing a “four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.”
In the open letter, the Grammy winner admitted he’s in a “constant mental illness” due to his bipolar disorder. (West went public with the diagnosis in 2016.)
He said his mental health issues stem from a car accident 25 years ago, which “caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain.” He said the “deeper injury” to his brain “went unnoticed.”
“When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting,” West explained. “You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”
Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband confessed he “lost touch with reality” and “became detached from my true self.” (West and Kardashian, 45, were married from 2014 to 2022 and share four children: North, 12, Saint, 10, Chicago, 8, and Psalm, 6).
He also addressed the antisemitic rants he made online over the past several years.
“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,” West wrote. “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. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
The musician credited his wife, Bianca Censori, for convincing him to “finally get help.”
West said he was “not asking for sympathy, or a free pass” with his apology, but wanted to “earn” forgiveness from those he hurt.
“I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,” he concluded.
In a follow-up interview with Vanity Fair, West shut down speculation that his apology was an effort to “revive” his career.
“It’s my understanding that I was in the top 10 most listened-to artists overall in the U.S. on Spotify in 2025, and last week and most days as well. My upcoming album, Bully, is currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album on Spotify too,” he told the outlet via email. “My 2007 album, Graduation, was also the most listened to and streamed hip-hop album of 2025. This, for me, as evidenced by the latter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality. This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit.”
West also doubled down on his remorse for his problematic behavior.
“I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular. All of it went too far. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am,” he stated. “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.”
