Kanye West is asking for forgiveness from his fans after years of erratic behaviour, including anti-Semitic conduct in a newly released Wall Street Journal ad. The ad contains a long letter in which West explains his situation, attributing it to a car accident 25 years ago that broke his jaw and “caused injury to the right frontal lobe” of his brain.
Kanye West says that his past actions in the last couple of years, including his blatant hatred for Jews, were the result of a head injury that led to severe mental health issues, such as bipolar type-1. In the part of the letter where he speaks about his diagnosis, Ye writes:
Comprehensive scans were not done, neurological exams were limited, and the possibility of a frontal-lobe injury was never raised. It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.”
He then follows this up in the next paragraph by highlighting some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder, saying:
Bipolar disorder comes with its own defence system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”
In the next few paragraphs, West sheds light on the severity of his diagnosis, noting that it drastically affects mortality rates among those affected, and highlights a lack of awareness among individuals, leading to misconceptions and late detection. Speaking of his own experience with the disease, West noted that he “lost touch with reality” and that things “got worse” the longer he “ignored the problem.” He also talked about deeply regretting his behaviour towards other people, especially those he “love(d) the most.”
Then West gravitated towards one of the topics he has perhaps received the most flak for in the last couple of years- his display of anti-Semitic behaviour. Talking about him selling T-shirts with a swastika sign on them, West attributed his demeanour to “poor judgment and reckless behavior that often times feels like an out-of-body-experience.” He stressed that he is not an anti-Semite or Nazi, as people would think, but one who loves Jewish people. West also apologised for letting down the Black community, who have been with him through his “highs and lows and the darkest of times.”
West also spoke about one of his intense manic episodes, which he experienced towards the first quarter of 2025 and wrote:
In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life. As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here anymore.”
West also spoke of his future plan in dealing with the disease, which includes “an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise, and clean living.” He also spoke about pouring “energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world.” He concluded his message by saying:
I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
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