Ye turned to print for his latest apology for past antisemitic remarks and merchandise, linking the actions to a past 2002 injury.
The popular artist formerly known as Kanye West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal’s section A — a page that typically goes for a five-figure sum.
The Monday ad — one of the artist’s longest at over 700 words — addressed “Those I’ve Hurt” and attempted to explain his controversial behavior in recent years, which led him to lose multiple business deals.
In the apology, Ye attributed his erratic public statements — including antisemitic remarks and Swastika merchandise — to what he described as an undiagnosed brain injury from a 2002 car accident.
The rapper said the crash left him with a shattered jaw and damage to the right frontal lobe of his brain. While doctors treated his visible injuries at the time, Ye said the neurological damage wasn’t properly addressed.
“The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed,” he wrote.
The apology also reveals that he is a Reddit user, with Ye writing that the online forum showed him that “it’s not just me who ruins their entire life once a year despite taking meds every day.”
“I have found comfort in Reddit forums of all places. Different people speak of being in manic or depressive episodes of a similar nature. I read their stories and realized that I was not alone,” Ye said.
The latest in a string of apologies
This isn’t the first time Ye has apologized for his behavior, which became increasingly controversial in recent years and resulting in widespread backlash.
He’s previously said he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people,” worn “White Lives Matter” shirts with Candace Owens, and last year recorded a song that chanted “Heil Hitler.” The actions likely contributed to him losing his place on Forbes’ billionaires list, as brands like Adidas ended partnerships.
He’s also made a habit of apologizing and then later backtracking and making continued antisemitic remarks.
In 2022, he issued an apology while comparing himself to George Floyd.
“It hurt the Black people,” he said at the time. “So I want to apologize for hurting them because right now God has shown me by what Adidas is doing, and by what the media is doing, I know how it feels to have a knee on my neck now.”
In 2023, the rapper apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post, saying he was “learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding.”
In 2025, he publicly retracted his 2023 apology in a post on X and said he was a Nazi.
Read Ye’s full apology below:
To Those I’ve Hurt: 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. At the time, the focus was on the visible damage — the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed. Comprehensive scans were not done, neurological exams were limited, and the possibility of a frontal-lobe injury was never raised. It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis. Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. 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. Once people label you as “crazy,” you feel as if you cannot contribute anything meaningful to the world. It’s easy for people to joke and laugh it off when in fact this is a very serious debilitating disease you can die from. According to the World Health Organization and Cambridge University, people with bipolar disorder have a life expectancy that is shortened by 10 to 15 years on average, and a 2x-3x higher all-cause mortality rate than the general population. This is on par with severe heart disease, type 1 diabetes, HIV, and cancer — all lethal and fatal if left untreated. The scariest thing about this disorder is how persuasive it is when it tells you: You don’t need help. It makes you blind, but convinced you have insight. You feel powerful, certain, unstoppable. I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self. In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it. 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. 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. 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 so sorry to have let you down. I love us. In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life. As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here any more. Having bipolar disorder is notable state of constant mental illness. When you go into a manic episode, you are ill at that point. When you are not in an episode, you are completely “normal”. And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest. Hitting rock bottom a few months ago, my wife encouraged me to finally get help. I have found comfort in Reddit forums of all places. Different people speak of being in manic or depressive episodes of a similar nature. I read their stories and realized that I was not alone. It’s not just me who ruins their entire life once a year despite taking meds every day and being told by the so-called best doctors in the world that I am not bipolar, but merely experiencing “symptoms of autism”. My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that. As I find my new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living, I have newfound, much-needed clarity. 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.” With love, Ye
