Kanye West apologized for his comments about Jews and Hitler.
Kanye West met with Jewish spiritual leader Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto in New York and apologized for calling Jews Nazis and himself a Hitler fan. At the meeting, the 48-year-old rapper attributed his statements to bipolar disorder.
"People don't know much about bipolar disorder. But it's what drove me to extremes where I forgot about the people around me and myself. And I take responsibility for that. I truly appreciate you welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to make amends," West said in a video posted online.
In early 2025, Kanye published a series of posts on social media in which he called himself a "Nazi" and stated that he "loves Hitler" and that "Jews actually hate white people." On Victory Day, celebrated in Europe and the United States on May 8, Kanye released the track "Heil Hitler" and later launched swastika merchandise. Following this, his visa was revoked in Australia, where his wife, Bianca Censori, is from.
West, repeatedly recognized as one of the greatest artists of the 21st century, first announced his diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 2019. However, back in the 2000s, he was embroiled in a series of controversies involving provocative statements at various ceremonies and on social media, including for his radical anti-Semitic views. He denied the Holocaust and blamed his problems on "Zionists" and an "underground Jewish mafia." As a result, in the 2020s, a number of companies terminated their contracts with him, and YouTube, Spotify, and several countries censored his music. The scandals have derailed Kanye West's status as a billionaire.
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