‘I am not a Nazi… I love Jewish people’: Kanye West apologises for past behaviour in Wall Street Journal advert

Explaining how he came to make T-shirts bearing the swastika, Kanye says: "In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika.”

He adds that although he regrets and is “deeply mortified” by his actions “it does not excuse” what he did.

Much of the letter concerns Kanye’s struggle with bipolar-1 disorder, which he says he was finally diagnosed with in 2023, following a near-fatal car crash in 2002.

“The scariest thing about this disorder is how persuasive it is when it tells you: You don’t need help. It makes you blind, but convinced you have insight. You feel powerful, certain, unstoppable,” he says.

Later he admits “I lost touch with reality,” adding: “One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments - many of which I still cannot recall - that led to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience.”

The 24-time Grammy winner concludes his letter by saying: “I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”

In November last year, Kanye held a private meeting with a New York rabbi to allegedly atone for his antisemitic outbursts over recent years.

Israeli-Moroccan Orthodox Rabbi and Kabbalist Yoshiyahu Pinto posted a video on his social media feeds, showing the rapper in conversation with him in New York.

In the video, West, blaming some of his outbursts on his mental health said: “I feel really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability.”

In 2022, Kanye was named Antisemite of the Year by Jewish-hate watchdog, StopAntisemitism. 

In a post on X, the US based organisation said: “Kanye West’s threats of violence, hateful conduct, and hate speech all led him winning this year’s title.”