Ye, the award-winning rapper and reality TV star previously known as Kanye West, has issued a lengthy public apology. Ye’s controversial remarks and social media outbursts often placed him at the center of headlines and online debates. Now, years later, in a letter published by The Wall Street Journal, his words reflect on past behavior and acknowledge the harm caused during a period he says was shaped by serious, untreated mental health challenges.
Ye Issues Public Apology In The Wall Street Journal
In a full-page advertisement published Monday in The Wall Street Journal titled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” the artist shared a message of remorse while describing a prolonged struggle with medical issues that he said went undiagnosed for years.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” he wrote, as reported by The Rolling Stone.
A Brain Injury and Years Without Answers
Gettyand Bianca Censori
In the statement, Ye said a car crash nearly 25 years ago left him with an injury to the right frontal lobe of his brain, one he believes went undetected for decades and quietly shaped his mental health.
“It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023,” he wrote, saying the “medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.”
Looking back on that time, Ye described a steady unraveling. “I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret.”
‘I Lost Touch With Reality’: Ye Vulnerably Reveals Hitting Rock Bottom
GettyYe said his mental health worsened in early 2025, a period he described as marked by a prolonged and destabilizing episode.
As per The Rolling Stone, he wrote that he “fell into a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid, and impulsive behavior,” a spiral that ultimately led him to what he called “rock bottom.”
At the urging of his wife, Bianca Censori, Ye said he sought professional help and began actively addressing his condition.
“You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable,” he wrote. “Looking back, I became detached from my true self.”
Finding Stability and Asking for Patience
Ye revealed he has since found greater stability through treatment and changes to his daily life, describing a deliberate effort to rebuild his health.
He said he reached a “new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living.”
While acknowledging the impact of his past actions, the artist emphasized accountability over sympathy.
“I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness,” he wrote. “I write today to simply ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”
Ye is set to release a new album on Friday, marking his first major project since publicly addressing his mental health in such personal detail.
Looking back on his journey, Ye rose to mainstream reality TV fame through his high-profile relationship and marriage to reality TV mogul and multi-hyphenate Kim Kardashian.
GettyFrom their love story to their proposal and marriage, their relationship played out on the long-running Kardashian franchise. The couple divorced in 2022, but Ye continues to appear in archival footage and family discussions on “The Kardashians,” reflecting a tumultuous yet strong connection to the family’s roots.
You can read his full The Wall Street Apology here.
