Ye Apologizes in WSJ Ad
By Rob Redding
Editor & Publisher
NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2026, 12 p.m. — In a surprising move, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, today took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, offering a heartfelt apology to “Those I Hurt” and revealing new details about his mental health struggles.
The ad, appearing on the back page of section A, sees Ye addressing his recent controversial behavior, including antisemitic comments made last year, which sparked widespread outrage.
“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,” Ye writes. He recounts how, despite the injury, he managed to record his debut hit “Through the Wire” just two weeks later, wired shut.
He reveals that neurological tests after the accident were limited, and the possibility of a frontal lobe injury wasn’t considered until 2023. Ye claims this injury played a role in his bipolar disorder diagnosis, which he officially received in 2016. He also shares that he once believed he had autism, but now recognizes his diagnosis as bipolar.
Ye’s lengthy apology also addresses the darker moments of his recent years, including his infamous antisemitic statements and symbols, such as praising Hitler and posting swastikas on social media. He admits to selling T-shirts bearing the swastika during his “fractured state,” and regrets those actions deeply.
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” he writes. He also apologizes to the Black community, calling himself “so sorry to have let you down” and emphasizing his love for his roots.
The message is part of his effort to explain his controversial behavior, which he says stemmed from untreated mental health issues. He emphasizes that he’s now committed to treatment and positive change.
The ad hints that Ye’s upcoming 12th album, titled Bully, is near completion, with a release possibly by month’s end.
Read Ye’s full letter below:
To Those I’ve Hurt:
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. At the time, the focus was on the visible damage, the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.
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.
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. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.
Once people label you as “crazy,” you feel as if you cannot contribute anything meaningful to the world. It’s easy for people to joke and laugh it off when in fact this is a very serious debilitating disease you can die from. According to the World Health Organization and Cambridge University, people with bipolar disorder have a life expectancy that is shortened by ten to fifteen years on average, and a two to three times higher all-cause mortality rate than the general population. This is on par with severe heart disease, type 1 diabetes, HIV, and cancer, all lethal and fatal if left untreated.
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.
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. 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. 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.
To the Black community, which held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times. The Black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.
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.
Having bipolar disorder is a constant state of mental illness. When you go into a manic episode, you are ill at that point. When you are not in an episode, you are completely ‘normal’. And that’s when the wreckage from the illness hits the hardest. Hitting rock bottom a few months ago, my wife encouraged me to finally get help.
I have found comfort in Reddit forums of all places. Different people speak of being in manic or depressive episodes of a similar nature. I read their stories and realized that I was not alone. It’s not just me who ruins their entire life once a year despite taking meds every day and being told by the so-called best doctors in the world that I am not bipolar, but merely experiencing “symptoms of autism.”
My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that.
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. I am pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world.
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.
With love,
Ye
Rob Redding is the author of No. 1 best selling book Black Power in the Age of Artificial Supremacy Featuring Redding-Shim Kwet Yung . He is the bestselling author of 18 books. He is the host of Redding News Review Unrestricted and creator of ReddingNewsReview.com. He is also an emerging visual artist who lives and teaches at two colleges in New York City.