Just a few months before his 12th studio album release in March, Ye, formally known as Kanye West, published a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal to apologize for his past antisemitic remarks.
According to The New York Times, Ye paid and wrote an apologetic ad titled “To Those I’ve Hurt” on Jan. 2. He expressed, “I am not a Nazi or antisemite” and “I love Jewish People.” He added an explanation toward his Nazi imagery, writing, “In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika.”
For many years, Ye has been known for speaking poorly of certain communities in tabloids, interviews and across social media. In 2022, he posted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight, but when I wake up I’m going to death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE… You guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
In a 2022 interview with Alex Jones, Ye said, “There are a lot of things that I love about Hitler.” He continued, “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler … [Nazis] did good things, too,” alongside posting a swastika with a Star of David image, which got his X account suspended.
In 2025, he ran a Super Bowl advertisement directing people to his company website Yeezy with just one thing up for purchase: a plain white T-shirt with a swastika in the center for $20. Shopify took down the site two days later.
On Jan. 26, Ye issued an ad publicly apologizing for his antisemitic behavior by addressing various instances in his life that affected his physical and mental state.
He spoke about a car crash he was in back in 2002, which he claimed caused undiagnosed neurological damage and his bipolar disorder diagnosis that led him to mental health struggles.
Ye also apologized for damaging the black community’s reputation and identity.
He wrote, “I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.” Ye finalized his apology by writing, “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though.”
While the ad has been deemed as Ye’s most formal kind of apology, this isn’t the first time he has publicly expressed his sorrow toward his actions.
However, critics argue that Ye’s newest apology could be a turning point in his career, but only time will tell as Ye does have a history of revoking such apologies.
In a court appeal filed on Feb. 23, Ye’s lawyers continue to argue that certain comments should not be viewed as antisemitic, but rather an expression of his art and the comments should be “protected as part of his artistic expression.”
The legal matter is ongoing and comes from an anonymous Jane Doe that sued Ye for discrimination against her in the workplace. She alleged that he not only made antisemitic comments to her within text messages, but later fired her for making so many complaints about such comments.
