This post contains discussion of hate speech and mental health issues.
From his harassment of his ex-wife to his support of Donald Trump, Kanye West, now known as Ye, has been at the center of many, many controversies throughout his decades-spanning career. But I think most would agree that his persistent anti-semitic hate speech in the past few years stands out as especially disturbing.
Ye began publicly targeting the Jewish community back in 2022, writing in a since-deleted X post that he wanted to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” That same year, his remarks led to the loss of several lucrative deals and business partnerships, including his major Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.
Most recently, in 2025, he declared himself “a Nazi” and ran a Super Bowl ad that directed viewers to a website that briefly sold T-shirts with swastikas on them. Less than a year ago, he also released a music video on X titled “HEIL HITLER (HOOLIGAN VERSION),” which featured Nazi imagery and lyrics.
This brings us to January 2026, when Ye — who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 when he was 39 — released a long formal apology for antisemitic comments, attributing his behavior to a brain injury and “long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior.”
“I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognizable,” the 48-year-old wrote, saying he “became detached from [his] true self.” “In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it. 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.”
Ye concluded the statement by saying that he is hoping to “earn” forgiveness — and it seems that is what he’s still attempting to do. Since releasing his apology, Ye has released his latest album, Bully, and played major sold-out shows in Mexico and at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last week.
His comeback arc has been a major topic of discussion online, and even more so after he was announced as the headliner for all three days of Wireless Festival, which will take place in London this July. The announcement has sparked widespread backlash, with high-profile politicians and Jewish groups publicly denouncing the booking, and a number of big-name brands withdrawing their sponsorship of the popular festival.
Despite all this, Melvin Benn, the Managing Director of Wireless Festival organizer Festival Republic, released a statement on April 6, doubling down on booking Ye as headliner, while also acknowledging the rapper’s “abhorrent” past behavior.
Now, amid calls to ban Ye from entering the UK, the rapper has issued his own statement on the festival backlash, saying this morning that he has been “following the conversation around Wireless and [wanted] to address it directly.”
“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music,” he wrote, before offering to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK to “listen.”
“I know words aren’t enough,” he added. “I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
Well, something tells me that we’re going to be talking about this for months to come. We’ll keep you posted with the updates.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.