In a Jan. 27 interview with Vanity Fair, Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — opened up further about the full-page apology ad he ran in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, saying that the apology wasn’t about saving face, or an elaborate PR stunt before his new album, Bully, drops this Friday.
In the Q&A, Ye addressed concerns that the apology looks like a “PR move” ahead of the release of his new album, “Bully,” supposedly out on Friday.
“It’s my understanding that I was in the top 10 most listened-to artists overall in the U.S. on Spotify in 2025, and last week and most days as well. My upcoming album, ‘Bully,’ is currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album on Spotify too. My 2007 album, ‘Graduation,’ was also the most listened-to and streamed hip-hop album of 2025,” Ye wrote in an email for Vanity Fair.
“This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality,” he continued. “This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit. I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular. All of it went too far.”
As previously reported, Ye said his antisemitic remarks toward the Jewish community, along with insensitive comments about Black people, the Kardashians, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and several longtime collaborators, happened during what he described as a four-month manic episode in 2025.
According to the “Gold Digger” hitmaker, the episode was linked to damage to his right frontal lobe, an injury he sustained in his nearly fatal 2002 car accident, the same accident that later inspired his breakout hit “Through The Wire.” Over time, Ye said, the injury contributed to his bipolar disorder.
Ye says his behavior went “too far” during his fourth-month manic episode.
Reflecting on the tough period, Ye says his actions were inexcusable.
“All of it went too far. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am,” Ye continued. “As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It’s important that they realize and understand what side of history I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.”
When asked if there was a moment when regret really set in, Ye said it didn’t happen until he was “out of the episode and in treatment,” when the “reality” of his actions finally sank in.
“I was disconnected from my true self….Every day that I wake up, it’s a checklist of everything that I said—at least what I can recall—while in a bipolar episode,” he said. “All of the family bonds, deep relationships, and lifelong friendships that I worked so hard to build over so many years were all tarnished by all of the horrible statements that I made so impulsively.”
Ye says he’s currently in treatment.
Looking back on the manic episode, Ye told Vanity Fair that he didn’t fully understand how sick he was until the later stages, when his medication was changed. He credited his wife, Bianca Censori, for stepping in and guiding him through that turning point.
“In that shift, the antipsychotic drug took me into a really deep depressive episode,” the Grammy-winning rapper explained. “My wife recognized that, and we sought out what’s been effective and stabilizing course correction in my regime from a rehab facility in Switzerland. You must understand bipolar is a disease. It’s one of the most lethal nonterminal illnesses.”
Now, Ye says he’s focused on staying stable and finding the right treatment plan to keep his bipolar disorder under control.
When asked about his long-standing reluctance toward medication and whether those fears were justified, Ye was candid about the challenges.
“I’ve been put on and taken off of many medications. That’s just part of the journey,” he said. “The African American community has a hypersensitivity to antipsychotic drugs, more than most groups. Finding the right dosage is difficult, but it’s important and critical to finding the right balance with the illness.”
He added, “Zombifying otherwise becomes a side effect of a high dosage. The side effects as such have been a reality for me at times. And it’s known that 60% to 80% of people who have to take these antipsychotic drugs experience side effects, and up to 25% of people abandon using them because of the side effects. I’m just trying to find what works for me so that I can continue down this positive course.”
Ye also shared that he’s putting the finishing touches on his 12th studio album, Bully, as he steps into a new chapter of his life.
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