Kanye West announces he has autism, says he was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder

Kanye West has revealed he was recently diagnosed with autism. He now refutes the bipolar disorder diagnosis he received back in 2016.

The Chicago rapper, who had his legal name changed to Ye in 2021, said he decided to search for a different opinion after his wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to get re-diagnosed. “My wife took me to do that,” he said in a recent interview in Justin Laboy’s podcast, The Download. “She said 'something about your personality doesn’t feel like it’s bipolar. I’ve seen bipolar before.’”

Ye received this diagnosis in 2016, but did not make it public until the release of his 2018 album ye (the cover of which reads “I hate being Bi-Polar, it’s awesome”). Concerns about his mental health were raised after he abruptly stopped a concert in 2016 due to a psychotic breakdown.

“I watch for (bad mental health episodes) beforehand, but if you get to the point where it goes (bad), you’re going to stay in that position for a while," he said in the Laboy interview. "It might now go for three, four days a week. Some people, if they get into it, you got to put them in a place that’s not in public.”

The 24-time Grammy winner has also been involved in several controversies, like being locked out of Instagram and Twitter for antisemitic posts in 2022. He also stormed out of interviews with Piers Morgan and Tim Pool, after his views were questioned, while Adidas terminated his collaboration with him in the same year. Forbes estimated that after the conclusion of the Adidas deal, which was calculated to have a $1.5 billion value, his net worth was reduced to $400 million.

Talking to Laboy about having had his bank accounts frozen, Ye said: “They wanted to do everything to prove to me that I didn’t have a right to say anything out loud that went against people who own the media, people who own the music industry, people that Drake is going up against right now."

The musician also gave his opinion about the ubiquitous Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap beef: "Man (referring to Kendrick)… You killed my nemesis. Where’s the movies if it ain’t no Drake?" he added. "(Kendrick killed him) or at least took him down for a little bit. He’s dead for now.”

Ye's upcoming album, Bully, will be released in June 25, 2025. The date coincides with the birthday of North, his daughter with Kim Kardashian, "because it's her favourite album so far," he said. The rapper also revealed the inspiration behind the title came from his son Saint beating a 'weak kid:' "my son was playing with some kid and then he kicked him, and I asked my son ‘Why’d you do that?’ and he said: ‘Cause he weak.’”