After years of spreading racist and antisemitic views, Kanye West has apologized to the Jewish and Black communities.
In a Wall Street Journal full-page advertisement, he wrote:
“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.”
“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 black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us,”
“My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that.”
“I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,”
“That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,”
“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,”
West claimed that his bipolar diagnosis caused him to exhibit “poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body experience.”
In his letter, West clarified that it wasn’t until 2023—more than 20 years after he sustained a brain damage in an automobile accident—that he was “properly diagnosed.”
Over the years, West has made a number of contentious remarks.
