Kanye West takes out ad in Wall Street Journal and apologises for antisemitic statements

Kanye West has taken out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal to issue an apology letter for his antisemitic statements. The ad, featured on the back page of the newspaper, was paid by West's fashion brand, Yeezy.

His apology was addressed to "those I've hurt" and it touched on topics like his mental health struggles and his 2002 car accident. He stated that the accident had caused an undiagnosed traumatic injury, which later worsened his bipolar disorder. He said the brain injury has caused his mania to get worse, influencing his irrational, harmful behaviour, mainly targeting Jewish people.

"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 behaviour that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience," explained West.

The letter addressed the Black community, with West calling it "the foundation of who I am". He also apologised for letting down the people who supported him throughout his career.

"In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika," said West in the apology letter.

He expressed he's "deeply mortified" by what he's done, acknowledging T-shirts featuring the swastika, which he has sold in the past. West stated he's not a Nazi, nor an antisemite, adding, "I love Jewish people".

The past few years saw several controversial outbursts from Kanye West. His public praise of Adolf Hitler and antisemitic social media posts led to the termination of major business partnerships with his brand, with companies like GAP and Adidas ending their business agreements with Yeezy.

West ended the letter with this statement: "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 apology comes as West plans to release his 12th studio album Bully later this month. He announced the record in 2024 and released multiple work-in-progress versions via X in March 2025.