Kanye West Defends Apology Amid Claims It’s a “PR Stunt”

Ye is trying to start fresh after a turbulent year filled with public controversies and personal struggles. On Monday, January 26, the artist formerly known as Kanye West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to issue a public apology to the Jewish and Black communities.

Addressing those I’ve hurt, Ye admitted his past antisemitic behavior stemmed from untreated brain damage and mental illness. It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a N*** or an antisemite. I love Jewish people, he wrote in the letter. He also expressed remorse to the Black community, saying, I am so sorry to have let you down.

In a follow-up email interview with Vanity Fair, Ye defended his apology against critics who called it a “PR stunt.” He pointed out that his 2007 album, Graduation, was the most streamed hip-hop album of 2025 and that his current pre-save numbers are at the top of the charts.

This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality, he wrote. This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit. He added that he wants to focus on love and positivity.

Ye explained that much of his public outbursts and social media rants happened during a four-month manic episode in early 2025. All of it went too far. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am, he admitted. His wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to seek treatment at a rehabilitation center in Switzerland while he adjusted to new antipsychotic medication. The antipsychotic drug took me into a really deep depressive episode, he said, noting that balancing treatment and public life was especially challenging.

Professionally, Ye continues to stay busy. His twelfth studio album, Bully, is set to release on Friday, January 30. The 13-track album includes singles such as Preacher Man and Beauty and the Beast, which fans got to hear at listening events in China late last year.

Fans are also anticipating the digital release of his documentary In Whose Name?, which first premiered in theaters in September 2025. Directed by Nico Ballesteros, the film covers six years of Ye’s life, including his marriage to Kim Kardashian and recent health challenges.

On the red carpet, Ye and Censori have remained visible throughout the 2026 awards season. Most recently, the couple attended the Grammy Awards, where Ye praised his wife’s bold fashion choices on social media.

This apology represents a major shift from his previously defiant public image. Whether it signals a lasting change or is part of his ongoing pattern of controversy is still uncertain.

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