Kanye West Issues Formal Apology to Black Community in National Newspaper Ad, But the Black Internet Is Split

In news that can only be described as “oh, word?” Ye, fka Kanye West has seemingly come to his senses and is dedicated to turning a new leaf in 2026. This is evidenced by a bold move he just pulled, but not everyone is convinced of his newfound insight.

As you probably know by now, Ye has made headlines over the past decade for a myriad of dastardly posts and antics. Whether he was spewing his opinion that “slavery was a choice,” cozying up to President Donald Trump and the MAGA crowd, promoting anti-Semitism or some other bizarre and off-putting thing—it’s clear that the rapper who many once viewed as a breath of fresh air in the hip-hop industry had turned into nothing more than a stale odor in music and pop culture at-large.

But now, it looks as if all of that may be behind him as evidenced by a new full-page ad published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. In it, the “Through the Wire” rapper formally apologized to “those he’s hurt” for his past behavior and rhetoric over the years. Specifically, he pointed to that infamous car crash he was injured in in October 2002 as the impetus behind his ongoing mental health issues and subsequent bipolar disorder diagnosis.

Ye claimed that that accident caused him to have a broken jaw and an “injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain”—the latter of which, he explained, was never properly assessed or treated due to his deeper issues going unnoticed.

“Comprehensive scans were not done, neurological exams were limited, and the possibility of a frontal-lobe injury was never raised. It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,” Ye said. “Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. 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.”

He went on to say that one of the scariest things about being manic bipolar is the fact that it persuades you to think that you’re the one that’s “normal” and that it’s everyone else who needs help. Ye then admitted to “losing touch with reality” and thusly, treating people he loved and others poorly.

“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. 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 love someone who was, at times, unrecognizable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self,” he explained.

Then, the “Gold Digger” rapper touched on the subject of his anti-Semitism, swastika embracement, and admitted to the error of his ways and said that he loves Jewish people. He also then apologized to the Black community and made and concluded by acknowledging that while he’s a on a path to finding a “new baseline,” he knows he has to earn back public trust.

“To the black community – which held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times. The black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us,” Ye wrote.

He concluded: “My words as a leader in my community have real global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that. As I find my new baseline and new center through an effective regime of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living, I have newfound, much-needed clarity. I am pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design, and other new ideas to help the world. I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home.”

As you might expect, once folks online started getting wind of Ye’s newfound lease on life, the internet was divided on whether or not they could believe his words and questioned if he was truly at a point of change or if it’s just a ploy to get people to buy whatever new thing he’s about to try to selll.

“The fact that Ye took out an ad in the Wall Street Journal to apologize to the Black community tells me everything I need to know about his supposed return to reality,” wrote one social media user on X.

“The most pathetic thing about this Kanye apology tour is that he’s more concerned with making sure Jewish people know he’s sorry for the things he said than with being apologetic for the anti-Black rhetoric he’s been pushing for almost a decade now,” said another.

“Kanye one of my favorite artists of all time but the shit he said/did/platformed is unforgivable to me. This is just a grift because he knows he lost his career after the divorce when he went mental. I hope he gets help and stays out the spotlight,” one other user said.

Added another: “He’s done this before. He told Charlamagne he’s bipolar and autistic (I think) which supposedly explains his comments about slavery, etc. only for him to turn around and still do and say weird, offensive shit. I feel like he’ll be back on some weird shit by summer.”

However, there were some who took Yeezy at his words and expressed compassion and hope that he would finally be on the mend.

“This sounds like the most cohesive, sincere and thought through thing Ye has said in nearly 8 years Keeping my fingers crossed he gets better,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.

“I know some people will say “too little, too late”, “he needs money”, “must be releasing an album” etc. But this level of accountability is very rare these days and should be commended,” said another.

Another social media user wrote on X: “It was very obvious that he was going through a manic episode. Mental illness is no joke and some who suffer from it do and say a lot of out of character things!! Losing control is scary af.”

Added another, “I’ve never read a more sincere apology in my life this man was really going through it.”