Kanye West buys full-page WSJ ad to apologise for past antisemitic remarks

American rapper Kanye West (Ye) has bought a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Monday (26 January) expressing regret for his behaviour in recent years.

Titled To those I've hurt, the letter detailed his injuries from a car accident 25 years ago, including a frontal-lobe injury that led to his bipolar type-1 diagnosis. Ye wrote that, in a fractured state, "I gravitated towards the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika."

"I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people," he wrote.

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Ye explained that a bipolar disorder manic episode comes with denial and that he lost grip of his reality entirely. "In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life. As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn't want to be here anymore," the musician said.

"My words as a leader in my community have real global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that," he added.

The rapper shared that he has found comfort in Reddit forums, realising that he was not alone and that he had been misdiagnosed by doctors who told him that he was merely experiencing "symptoms of autism".

Ye concluded the letter by expressing his intent to create positive, meaningful art as well as 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," said Ye.

The paid advertisement comes ahead of Ye’s new album Bully, slated for release on 30 January 2026. The twelfth studio album was announced in September 2024, with multiple work-in-progress versions, featuring different track lists, released by Ye on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in the lead-up.

It also comes after the artist has been dropped or under review by several brands over the years including adidas, Balenciaga and Vogue.

Ye is not the only high-profile figure to use paid ad space for personal or non-traditional purposes. Last year, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson took out a Wall Street Journal ad titled lululemon: in a nosedive, criticising the brand’s leadership. In it, he argued that Lululemon should have been a US$100 billion company, but had faltered as “directors systematically dismantled the business model and lost employees who held the institutional knowledge that made the company great.”

Wilson compared the brand’s decline to a plane crash, citing a shift from creative leadership to a merchant-driven approach, “cheapened store design,” and the use of “non-technical fabrics” that eroded its premium positioning. He also slammed an “inappropriate Disney collaboration” as a “desperate move for growth."

Closer to home, DBS took out a front-page ad in The Straits Times on 10 August 2024 to celebrate Singaporean athlete Maximilian Maeder after he won bronze in kitefoiling at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The ad cleverly hijacked DBS’ regional campaign tagline, changing “Trust your spark” to “Trust your spark. To the Max, Singapore,” underlining Maeder’s name in the bank’s signature red. The move highlighted DBS’ ongoing partnership with Maeder, aimed at inspiring youth to chase their aspirations, even if it means taking the road less travelled.

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