Ye Doubles Down On Remorse For Hate Speech
In a January 27 interview with Vanity Fair, Yes – formerly known as Kanye West – further opened about the full-page apology ad he walked in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, saying the apology wasn't about saving face, or an elaborate PR stunt before his new album, Bully, drops this Friday.
In the Q&A, Ye addressed concerns that the apology looks like a “PR move” ahead of the release of his new album, “Bully,” expected to be on Friday.
“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. My upcoming album, 'Bully,' is currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album on Spotify as well. My 2007 album, 'Graduation,-2' was also the most listened to hip-hop-2 and the most streamed hip-hop,” Jo wrote in an email for Vanity Fair.
“This, for me, as the letter shows, is not about reviving my commercial,” he continued. “This is because these remorseful feelings lay so heavily on my heart and weigh on my mind. I once again owe a big apology for anything I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular. It all went too far.”
As before reportedYe said his anti-Semitic comments against the Jewish community, along with insensitive comments about Black people, the Kardashians, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and several longtime collaborators, occurred during what he described as a four-month manic episode in 2025.
According to the “Gold Digger” hitmaker, the episode was linked to damage to his right frontal lobe, an injury he suffered in his near-fatal car accident in 2002, the same accident that later inspired his breakout hit “Through The Wire.” Over time, Ye said, the injury contributed to his bipolar disorder.
Ye says his behavior went “too far” during his fourth month manic episode.
Reflecting on the difficult period, Ye says his actions were inexcusable.
“It all went too far. I look at the wreckage of my episode and realize this is not who I am,” Ye continued. “As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my word. It is important that they realize and understand which side of history I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.”
When asked if there was a moment when regret truly set in, Ye said it didn't happen until he was “out of the episode and into treatment,” when the “reality” of his actions finally sunk in.
“I was disconnected from my true self … Every day I wake up, it's a checklist of everything I said — at least what I can remember — while in a bipolar episode,” he said. “All the family ties, deep relationships and lifelong friendships I worked so hard to build over so many years were all tainted by all the horrible statements I made so impulsively.”
Ye says he is currently undergoing treatment.
Looking back on the manic episode, Ye told Vanity Fair that he didn't fully understand how sick he was until the later stages, when his medication was changed. He wrote to his wife, Bianca Censorito step in and guide him through that turning point.
“During that shift, the antipsychotic drug took me into a really deep depressive episode,” the Grammy-winning rapper explained. “My wife recognized that, and we sought what has been an effective and stabilizing course correction in my regimen from a rehab facility in Switzerland. You have to understand that bipolar is an illness. It's one of the most deadly non-terminal illnesses.”
Now Ye says he's focused on staying stable and finding the right treatment plan to keep his bipolar disorder under control.
When asked about his longstanding reluctance to take medicine and whether those fears were justified, Ye was honest about the challenges.
“I've been on and off a lot of medications. That's just part of the journey,” he said. “The African-American community has a hypersensitivity to antipsychotic drugs, more than most groups. Finding the right dosage is difficult, but it is important and critical to find the right balance with the disease.”
He added, “Zombifying otherwise becomes a side effect of a high dosage. The side effects as such have sometimes been a reality for me. And it is known that 60% to 80% of people who have to take these antipsychotic drugs experience side effects, and up to 25% of people stop using them because of the side effects. I can just try to find something positive for me.
Ye also shared that he is putting the finishing touches on his 12th studio album, Bullyas he steps into a new chapter of his life.
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