Kanye West’s claims that his recent apology in The Wall Street Journal had nothing to do with re-establishing his diminished career prospects.
If you somehow missed Monday’s big news, West (still known professionally as Ye, in a move that doesn’t necessarily help his case) took out a full-page ad to address “those I’ve hurt.” In the letter, he blamed both brain damage and ongoing struggles with bipolar disorder for his sustained and continued displays of antisemitic behavior. He also reiterated that he doesn’t hold any Nazi-related beliefs or affiliations (despite recent career moves indicating otherwise). Finally, West took time to speak directly to the Black community by saying, “I am so sorry to have let you down.”
In a follow-up interview with Vanity Fair, West extended on some of the core themes of the letter. (However, he declined outright when the magazine questioned him about “where his antisemitic sentiments may have originated from and why, and how he has made amends in his personal life.”) The biggest question came when he was asked if this was all a publicity stunt given his latest album, Bully, is set to drop this Friday (January 30th). He’s also set to play a major of major concerts in Mexico City this weekend.
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But as West asserted, he doesn’t need any such publicity given how well his career prospects have fared in spite of the string of controversies.
“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,” West wrote. “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.”
Instead, as West countered, the letter had everything to do with trying to come clean.
“This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit,” West wrote. “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. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am. 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 that I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.”
Of course, it’s hard to deny the evidence of a sustained bent toward antisemitic expressions that actually date back several years. Following a couple of public tirades circa 2023, West’s behavior ramped up in early 2025, and eventually led to additional, more targeted rants, merchandise centered around the swastika, and even a single titled “Heil Hitler.” West claimed that at least some of these instances were the result of an extended manic episode across 2025 after “my medication was changed.” From there, a brand-new anti-psychotic medication pushed him into “a really deep depressive episode.”
West went on to say that he’s been trying to find the appropriate dosage of his psych medications as it’s “important and critical to finding the right balance with the illness.” West also brought up the notion that the “African American community has a hypersensitivity to anti-psychotic drugs, more than most groups,” which is at least partially supported by medical evidence/literature.
At the end of the day, West said he is trying to “find what works for me so that I can continue down this positive course.” He added, “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.”
We’re all for someone making amends and putting in the long, hard work to fix their mistakes. (Even if that doesn’t mean anyone has to actually accept what West says or does.) At the same time, given the timing with Bully, it’s quite hard not to think that West is both earnest and also at least mindful of his career prospects in deciding to apologize right now. (And why else mention his “performance” on streaming platforms as some ill-advised humble-brag?)
Plus, it’s clear that West has some real damage control to do in order to salvage whatever may remain of his future career. (And not just, say, nostalgic re-streams from die-hard fans.) In recent months, his words and actions have lead to canceled gigs in Brazil, and he also saw his Australian visa revoked. This apology, then, comes at exactly the right time to bury those news stories and set the stage for his “triumphant” return to pop music’s good graces.
So, yes, we’ll see what happens, but we won’t exactly dust off Late Registration just yet.
For more, read Kiana Fitzgerald’s open letter to West.