WASHINGTON — Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, has issued a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal, addressing his past antisemitic remarks. He partly attributes his controversial statements and behavior to a brain injury from an accident in 2002.

The ad, appearing in Monday’s edition and entitled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” features Ye’s assurance that he does not identify as a Nazi or antisemite.

“I have great love for Jewish people,” he expressed. “I am filled with regret and deep embarrassment over my behavior during that period and am dedicated to pursuing accountability, therapy, and genuine transformation.”

The letter begins by detailing the car crash that occurred in 2002, shortly before his musical breakthrough with the 2004 album, “The College Dropout.”

Ye wrote that he suffered a brain injury in the crash that hadn’t been diagnosed in more than 20 years. 

“It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023,” he said. The “medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.”

Throughout his career, Ye has made a number of headline-grabbing and often controversial moves. In 2005, he publicly criticized then-President George W. Bush in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, saying the president didn’t care about Black people. 

And in 2009, he again made headlines at the VMA awards by interrupting Taylor Swift acceptance speech to say he believed another artist should have won “Best Music Video.” 

 In a series of posts on social media, as recently as February 2025, Ye declared he was a Nazi and praised Adolph Hitler. 

In describing that time, Ye wrote that he “lost touch with reality” during a psychotic episode. 

“(I) fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” in early 2025, he wrote, before hitting “rock bottom a few months ago.”

Ye said he was encouraged by his wife,  Bianca Censori, to seek help for his mental issues. 

This isn’t the first time Ye has circled back to apologize for his behavior. In a December 2023 Instagram post written in Hebrew, Ye wrote in part: “It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”

But apologies have not saved his professional standings. Antisemitic comments and the release of songs such as “Heil Hitler” caused brands associated with the rapper to cut ties with him. 

Adidas, which once sold his trademark Yeezy sneakers, ended its brand deal with Ye and rebranded the shoes to distance itself from the rapper.