Kanye West reveals tipping point that made him seek treatment as he insists apology for antisemitic rants was not a publicity move

Kanye West has revealed the tipping point that prompted him to seek treatment after years of making antisemitic and problematic statements. 

West, 48, took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal on Monday apologizing for his hateful statements and alleging they were made during the throes of his bipolar disorder. 

The rapper, legal name Ye, also claimed to have sustained a brain injury during a 2002 car accident, one which went unnoticed and ultimately led to his bipolar diagnosis. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair, West addressed criticism the letter was a PR move intended to repair his image, insisting he was motivated by 'remorseful feelings' weighing 'heavy on my heart' and 'spirit.' 

West revealed he sought help after his wife Bianca Censori noticed he was in the throes of a 'deep depressive episode' following a medication change. 

He has since received a 'stabilizing course correction' at a rehab based in Switzerland. 

'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. 

'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. You must understand bipolar is a disease. It’s one of the most lethal nonterminal illnesses.'

The rapper, who also operates an eponymous clothing line, also addressed speculation the apology was made to repair his reputation as a musical artist and businessman. 

According to West, data shows his music has remained in-demand, and his upcoming album Bully is 'currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album' on the streaming service Spotify.

Rather, the letter was released out of a sincere desire to apologize. 

'It’s my understanding that I was in the top 10 most listened-to artists overall in the US on Spotify in 2025, and last week and most days as well,' he responded. 

'My upcoming album, Bully, is currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album on Spotify too. My 2007 album, Graduation, was also the most listened-to and streamed hip-hop album of 2025. 

'This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality. 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. 

'All of it went too far. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am. 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.'

West, who was previously married to Kim Kardashian, said his words 'tarnished' friendships, familial relations, and 'deep relationships'.

'Every day that I wake up, it’s a checklist of everything that I said—at least what I can recall—while in a bipolar episode,' he said. 'All of the family bonds, deep relationships, and lifelong friendships that I worked so hard to build over so many years were all tarnished by all of the horrible statements that I made so impulsively.'

West's apology appeared as a page-long advertisement in the January 26 print edition of the Wall Street Journal, where he attributed his behavior to the effects of his health battle.  

The rapper alleged he sustained a brain injury during the accident that went 'unnoticed' at the time - with the 'medical oversight' sparking his bipolar disorder. 

West's hateful messages about the Jewish people have sparked outrage and condemnation, however in the past year, he has been issuing apologies over the vile statements. 

West said the illness made him 'detached from my true self' and caused him to be drawn 'toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika'.

The advertisement, which was paid for by Yeezy and authored by West, was headlined 'To Those I Hurt' and described how, after 'hitting rock bottom' several months ago, he decided to seek help at the encouragement of his wife.

'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,' the advertisement begins. 'At the time, the focus was on the visible damage - the fracture, the swelling, 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 2x-3x 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, and 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 love 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 lead to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body experience.'

West stressed he is not a 'Nazi or antisemite' and loved the 'Jewish people'.

'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 antisemite. I love Jewish people,' he said.

He also issued an apology to the 'black community' for letting them down. 

'To the black community - which held me down through all of the highs and lows and darkest of times,' he wrote. 'The black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.'

West said that he descended into a 'four month long manic episode' last year - one which saw him at times no longer wanting 'to be here anymore'.

'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's wife pushed him to seek help after he hit 'rock bottom' several months ago. 

'Having bipolar disorder is not a state of constant mental illness. When you go through the 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.'

Reddit provided West with a source of solace during this difficult time. 

'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 real 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.'

The message was signed off by West and indicated the advertisement had been 'Paid for by Yeezy' along with an email for the CFO of Yeezy. 

The Anti-Defamation League, whose mission is to eradicate antisemitism in the US, responded to West's apology in a statement obtained by the Daily Mail on Monday. 

'Ye’s apology to the Jewish people is long overdue and doesn’t automatically undo his long history of antisemitism – the antisemitic "Heil Hitler" song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas and myriad Holocaust references – and all of the feelings of hurt and betrayal it caused. The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future. We wish him well on the road to recovery,' an ADL spokesman said. 

Ye's string of antisemitic remarks began in late 2022, including a tweet that he was planning to go 'death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE'.

He embraced conspiracy theories that 'Jewish people' control the media, the music industry and finances, saying, 'The Jewish media blocked me out. This is not hate speech, this is the truth.'

He also praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis.

His remarks prompted Adidas, Balenciaga and his talent agency CAA, to stop doing business with him in 2022.

Most recently, the rapper released a song entitled 'Heil Hitler.'

Ye attributing his rants to bipolar disorder comes as a curveball in his evolving understanding of his mental health condition.

He said for years that he struggled with bipolar until asserting last winter that he had been misdiagnosed and has autism, instead.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings between periods of high energy, known as mania, and low energy, or depression.

It is often referred to as manic depression.

A 2013 study found that those who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) were at a higher likelihood of developing a mental illness - including bipolar disorder, according to Psychology Today.

Danish scientists found that those who had suffered a TBI (concussions included) were four times more likely to acquire a mental illness.

Those who suffer from a TBI were 28 percent more likely to develop bipolar disorder, the study found. 

West confirmed his bipolar diagnosis in his 2018 album, Ye.

'That's my bipolar shit, ni**a, what? That's my superpower, ni**a,' West rapped in the song Yikes. 'Ain't no disability. I'm a superhero! I'm a superhero!'

The diagnosis is not one that he has shied away from discussing publicly either. 

'You know the best thing about being an artist and bipolar? Anything you do and say is an art piece,' he said in his 2025 documentary In Whose Name? 

His mental health issues impacted his marriage with first wife Kim Kardashian, with whom he shares daughters North, 12, Chicago, seven, and sons Saint, nine, and Psalm, six. 

West's outburst on X prompted Kardashian to release a statement regarding his diagnosis in 2020. 

'As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand,' she wrote in the beginning of her statement.  

During an October 2025 appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Kardashian claimed that they had not heard from West for 'a couple months', however TMZ reported he reunited with the family a few months later over Christmas.

'Whenever he'll call for them and ask. It's probably been a couple months since we've heard from him,' Kardashian said on the show. 

In 2002, West's vehicle collided with another following a late-night recording session in Los Angeles, according to Spin. 

He was hospitalized, suffered a jaw fracture, and it's believed the ordeal prompted West, then just a producer, to finally launch his own career as a musical artist. 

West's jaw was reportedly wired shut when he wrote the song Through the Wire.