“All of it went too far,” he said of his past actions.

Ye says apology isn’t a PR stunt: ‘I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am’

"All of it went too far," he said of his past actions.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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January 27, 2026 12:26 p.m. ET

Ye in 2019. Credit:

Brad Barket/Getty

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is reaffirming his intentions behind his apology published in *The Wall Street Journal* on Monday.

The 48-year-old made headlines with the ad that ran in the publication's print edition as the backpage to section A. Addressed to "Those I Hurt," the apology, which attempts to explain his ever-changing controversial values, erratic behavior, and outbursts that has led to a roller coaster of controversies over the past few years, mentions the multiple communities Ye believes he's wronged, particularly the Black and Jewish communities.

But critics pointed out how Ye's previous moments of clarity and apologies are usually followed by the release of new music or a new project — which falls in line with the fact that the rapper's previously announced 12th studio album, *Bully*, is slated for release on Friday.

But Ye has asserted that his apology comes from a place of genuine remorse. "This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn't about reviving my commerciality," Ye told *Vanity Fair *over email in an interview published Tuesday.* "*This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit. I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular."

Donald Trump hugging Ye in October 2018.

Oliver Contreras - Pool/Getty

"All of it went too far. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn't who I am," the father of four continued. "As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It's important that they realize and understand what side of history that I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity."

Ye's controversial behavior has grown more and more intense in the public eye, especially over the past few years. He called Adolf Hitler "fresh" on social media last February, and his website selling swastika-covered shirts was shut down that same month. In May, he claimed that his new song "Heil Hitler" was "banned by all digital streaming platforms."

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He's gone on record praising Sean "Diddy" Combs after the entertainer was arrested in 2024 over abuse and sex trafficking allegations, courted criticism for attending the Grammys with wife Bianca Censori dressed in a nearly nude sheer dress on the red carpet, and attacked Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and their youngest children, twins Rumi and Sir in now-deleted posts viewed by EW.

The rapper's relationships and personal life have frayed over the years as well, most notably with John Legend, who once called Ye a close friend and collaborated with Ye on his 2004 album, *The College Dropout*, and with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. His split from Kardashian came years after his bipolar disorder diagnosis, in 2021. West married Australian architectural designer Bianca Censori in 2022.

Ye and Kim Kardashian in 2019.

Mark Sagliocco/WireImage

In his apology, Ye claimed that a 2002 car accident that left him with a shattered jaw contributed to his struggle with bipolar I disorder, with which he was officially diagnosed in 2016 and shared with the public in 2018.

"I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem," Ye acknowledged. "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."

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The rapper claimed that his recent revelation was inspired by "a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life." It was in the aftermath of this episode that he told *Vanity Fair *that he began to regret his public statements and actions.

"Toward the end of my four-month-long manic episode, my medication was changed. In that shift, the antipsychotic drug took me into a really deep depressive episode," he told the outlet. "My wife recognized that, and we sought out what's been effective and stabilizing course correction in my regime from a rehab facility in Switzerland."

The Grammy winner claimed that it was "not until I was out of the episode and in treatment did the reality set in of what I did while I was disconnected from my true self."

Ye in July 2025.

HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty

As Ye told readers in his apology, he's finding his "new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise, and clean living." It's a drastic change for the rapper who repeatedly spoke out about not wanting to be medicated.

"The African American community has a hypersensitivity to antipsychotic drugs, more than most groups. Finding the right dosage is difficult, but it's important and critical to finding the right balance with the illness," he told *Vanity Fair*. "I'm just trying to find what works for me so that I can continue down this positive course."

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