After years of ups and downs, Kanye West is issuing an apology via an ad in the Wall Street Journal.
“In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life,” West, 48, began in the open letter shared on Monday, January 26. “As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here anymore.”
West said that he’s in a “constant mental illness” because of his bipolar disorder. (The rapper went public with the diagnosis in 2016.)
“When you go into a manic episode, you are ill at that point,” he continued. “When you are not in an episode, you are completely ‘normal’. And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest.”
West credited wife Bianca Censori for encouraging him to “finally get help” after the rapper reached what he referred to as “rock bottom” in recent months.
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West’s message was addressed to “those I’ve hurt” as he explained that his mental health issues stem from a car accident that took place 25 years ago.
West claimed that the accident “caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain” and the “deeper injury” to his brain “went unnoticed” for years.
“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,” he wrote. “You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”
Because he felt “powerful, certain, unstoppable” due to the disorder, West admitted that he “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,” he continued. “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.”
West has made headlines throughout recent years for several political-laced and antisemetic rants on social media. He addressed his antisemitism head-on in Monday’s lengthy apology.
“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,” West 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. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
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West also issued an apology to the Black community, explaining that he is “so sorry to have let you down.”
The musician explained that he has since “found comfort” in Reddit forums, reading stories from people who experienced similar mental health breaks.
“My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that,” he wrote. “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.”
West made it clear that he was “not asking for sympathy, or a free pass,” but did hope to “earn” forgiveness from those communities he had hurt.
“I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,” West concluded.
Monday’s statement comes after West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian said that the twosome — who share North, 12, Saint, 10, Chicago, 8, and Psalm, 6 — are in a better place.
“I’m a really empathetic person. I mean, at the end of the day, we’re always family,” Kim told sister Khloé Kardashian on the “Khloé in Wonderland” podcast earlier this month. “I always look at it that way, no matter what’s going on. There are times when I have to be super protective and there are times when, at any moment, I would love that relationship. I’ve always said that.”
The open letter also comes as West is prepared to release a new album on Friday, January 30.
