Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, issued a public apology Monday for his previous antisemitic behavior — by paying for a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal.
Addressed “To Those I’ve Hurt,” the apology was for Ye’s history of “impulsive” behavior, including using antisemitic imagery and describing himself as Nazi, The Washington Post reported.
“I am not a Nazi or antisemite,” Ye said in the apology. “I love Jewish people.”
Ye had made antisemitic and hateful comments beginning in 2022, the Post reported, including denying the Holocaust, proclaiming he was a Nazi and saying he loved Adolf Hitler during an appearance that year on Alex Jones’ “Infowars.” He later sold T-shirts on his website bearing the swastika symbol and advertising it during the Super Bowl.
Additionally, the Post reported that in February, a female Jewish former employee accused him in a lawsuit of making a slew of antisemitic and sexist comments. In May, he released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” which sampled a speech from Hitler.
He attributes his previous behavior to his bipolar diagnosis and an undiagnosed brain injury.
He said he suffered a head injury in a 2002 accident and that it damaged the right frontal lobe of his brain, contributing to his bipolar disorder.
“One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnect moments — many of which I still cannot recall — that lead to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body experience,” he 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.”
In the advertisement, Ye also apologized to the Black community, as he said that is the “foundation of who I am.”
“My words as a leader in my community have real global impact and influence,” he said. “In my mania, I lost sight of that.”
Ye said he is utilizing medication, therapy, exercise and clean living to find his “new baseline and new center.”
“I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness,” the letter ends. “I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
