Kanye West has denied he is a Nazi and taken out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise for past antisemitic comments.
Titled ‘To Those I’ve Hurt’, the controversial rapper insisted he was not asking for “sympathy or a free pass”. Instead, he said he was looking to earn forgiveness from the public and that he love Jewish people.
The rapper also apologised to the black community, saying he had let it down.
West deleted his Xaccount in February of last year after suffering a backlash over a series of offensive remarks, including “I love Hitler” and “I’m a Nazi”.
His Yeezy online shopping platform was also taken down after it began selling T-shirts adorned with swastikas.
In May last year, the 48-year-old released a single titled ‘Heil Hitler’, a move that resulted in Australia, where the star’s wife, Bianca Censori, is from, cancelling his visa.
Adidas ended a partnership with the rapper over antisemitic comments he made in 2022, leaving the company with a mountain of West’s popular brand of Yeezy trainers unsold. West later apologised for his remarks a year later.
Weast blamed his behaviour on his bipolar disorder, something he said resulted from a car accident 25 years ago. He says his brain injury from the crash wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023, something he calls a “medical oversight [that] caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis”, he received in 2016.
“In early 2025, I fell into a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life,” West said. “I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret.”
West said he hit rock bottom a few months ago and that his wife encouraged him to get help. He is now “pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design and other new ideas to help the world”.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change.”
The letter ends with West saying, “I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home. With love, Ye.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It’s hard to keep up with Kanye West’s apologies and relapses. A heartfelt apology is nice but at the end of the day it’s meaningless if it’s followed by more of the same, which is what has happened before.
Time will tell whether he is really turning a corner or just going around in circles.
West has denied claims his antisemitism apology was a ‘PR move’ for his upcoming album release.