Kanye West has issued a sweeping public apology for the harm he has caused, including his widely condemned antisemitic remarks, in a paid letter published through The Wall Street Journal. Titled To Those I’ve Hurt and signed “Ye, formerly known as Kanye West,” the letter reads as both a personal reckoning and a plea for patience as he seeks stability, accountability, and forgiveness.
The letter opens with a look back at a pivotal moment in West’s life. “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,” he writes. While the visible injuries were treated, West says the deeper neurological damage went unnoticed for decades. “That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,” which he says was not properly identified until 2023.
West spends much of the letter describing how bipolar disorder distorted his sense of reality, particularly during manic episodes. “When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting,” he writes, adding that the condition can feel “powerful, certain, and unstoppable,” even as it erodes judgment and empathy. He cites research from the World Health Organization and Cambridge University, noting that people with bipolar disorder face a significantly shortened life expectancy and higher all-cause mortality.
The most personal passages focus on the damage done to those closest to him. “I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst,” West admits. He acknowledges that loved ones endured “fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to love someone who was, at times, unrecognizable.” Looking back, he says, “I became detached from my true self.”
Addressing the behavior that fueled global backlash, West directly confronts his past statements. “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” he writes. He then states plainly, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.” While emphasizing that illness does not excuse harm, West frames this declaration as a clear rejection of the ideologies he once echoed.
He also apologizes to the Black community, writing, “The Black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.” The apology broadens his message beyond any single group, positioning the letter as an attempt to address the cumulative impact of his words and actions.
West reveals that in early 2025 he experienced a four-month manic episode marked by “psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.” He acknowledges moments when “I didn’t want to be here anymore,” underscoring the severity of his mental health crisis. Hitting what he describes as rock bottom ultimately pushed him to accept help.
Unexpectedly, West says he found solace in online forums. “I found comfort in Reddit forums of all places,” he writes, explaining that reading the experiences of others with bipolar disorder made him realize he was not alone. This sense of shared struggle helped him confront years of denial and misdiagnosis.
As he describes his current path forward, West points to medication, therapy, exercise, and clean living as the foundation of a “new baseline.” With renewed clarity, he says he is channeling his energy into “positive, meaningful art, music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world.”
The letter closes not with a demand for absolution, but with restraint. “I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness,” West writes. “I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”