Kanye West Apologizes For Past Behavior in Full-Length Wall Street Journal Ad
Kanye West apologized for years of past behavior in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, January 26.
The rapper, who has spent years displaying unpredictable behavior and lobbing antisemitic threats and statements into the void, titled the open letter "To Those I've Hurt."
West, 48, began the letter by referencing his 2002 car accident, which he said "broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain." He added that he suffered additional neurological damage that wasn't detected until 2023.
"That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis," West explained. The rapper admitted he didn't fully understand he was entering into manic states and continued, "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."
Elsewhere in the letter, West admitted that he "lost touch with reality" and ended up causing a lot of harm to people he cared about. West and ex-wife Kim Kardashian divorced in November 2022.
"Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret," he wrote. "Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to love someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self."
West and Kardashian share four children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
Because he felt so "fractured," he continued, he began to look "toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika." West specifically noted of his own past antisemitism, "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."
Kanye West Credits His Wife With Helping Him
West entered into treatment for his condition after suffering a four-month period in 2025 in which he endured a "long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life." He added that his wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to get help.
West began to consult on Reddit in addition to receiving treatment. "My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that," he explained. "I am pouring my energy into 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. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home," the rapper concluded.
Kanye West Was Sued By A Former Employee
In 2025 West was sued by a former employee who alleged the rapper compared himself to Hitler and threatened her because she was Jewish. He was ultimately ordered to pay $76,000 of the employee's legal fees, and the case is currently on hold.
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