Kanye West’s antisemitism apology gets response from Anti-Defamation League
Kanye West issued an apology for his antisemitic behaviour this week, prompting a response from the Anti-Defamation League.
Ye took out an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal on January 26th, writing an essay to explain some of his hateful comments over the years.
The rapper claimed his erratic personality was the result of a brain injury caused by a car crash in the early stages of his career. “25 years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain,” he said.
He continued, “At the time, the focus was on the visible damage – the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.”
Kanye alleged that the injury was the root of his personality issues, leading to being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 and a brain injury in 2023.
The ADL took to social media following Ye’s message surfacing online, referencing the damage caused by his antisemitism but sending him well wishes.
“Ye’s apology to the Jewish people is long overdue and doesn’t automatically undo his long history of antisemitism – the antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas and myriad Holocaust references – and all of the feelings of hurt and betrayal it caused,” they wrote.
They concluded, “The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behaviour in the future. We wish him well on the road to recovery.”
Kanye is set to release his new album, Bully, on January 30th, marking his first solo album since 2022’s Donda 2.