Ye, formerly Kanye West, is seeking forgiveness. In an ad in Monday's edition of The Wall Street Journal, he describes how an undiagnosed frontal-lobe injury contributed to his bipolar disorder, which gradually changed the man fans once knew.
"Twenty-five years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain," he writes. "The focus was on the visible damage. ... [T]he possibility of a frontal-lobe injury was never raised. It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis."
Ye admits he initially denied the diagnosis. "When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting," he says. "The scariest thing about this disorder is how persuasive it is when it tells you: 'You don’t need help.' ... I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem."
He reflects on the harm he caused loved ones and the Black community, which he says "held me down through all of the highs and lows" but was let down by his behavior.
During that time, he also gravitated "toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika," though he stressed he is "not a Nazi or antisemite."
A four-month manic episode in 2025 led to "psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior" and "times I didn’t want to be here anymore."
Now, through medication, therapy, exercise and clean living, Ye says he has a "newfound, much-needed clarity" and is focusing on "positive, meaningful art."
"I'm not asking for sympathy, or a free pass," he says. "I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home."
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