West, who changed his name to Ye and struggled with bipolar disorder for years, said in an open letter published Monday in The Wall Street Journal that when bipolar people are in a manic phase they do not feel sick.
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“You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely,” said West, whose achievements include winning 24 Grammy awards.
In his letter entitled “To Those I’ve Hurt,” he said he sometimes has “disconnected moments” that lead to poor judgment and reckless behavior, describing such instances as feeling like an out-of-body experience.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” West said.
“It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
In late 2023 West apologized to Jews for having said “I love Nazis.”
In 2022 he caused outrage by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter,” seen as a racist insult to the Black Lives Matter movement, and by attending a dinner with Donald Trump that included the white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes.