Kanye West has issued an apology note “the Jewish community” in a new Instagram post written in Hebrew. The rapper, who has unleashed a series of antisemitic comments in recent years, wrote that he was sorry for any pain he has caused.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any ‘unintended outburst’ caused by my words or actions,’” he wrote (via Google Translate). “It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”
He added, “I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”
West was widely condemned last fall when he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” He added, “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement several hours after West’s post on Tuesday, calling the apology the “first step” toward “making amends” with the Jewish community.
“After causing untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate, an apology in Hebrew may be the first step on a long journey towards making amends to the Jewish community and all those who he has hurt,” the ADL wrote. “Ultimately, actions will speak louder than words but this initial act of contrition is welcome.”
The rapper’s antisemitic comments resulted in a series of corporate fallouts, including Adidas cutting ties with West and ending its Yeezy footwear partnership. Gap stopped stocking West’s collaboration with the brand as well. But, of course, these serious ramifications didn’t stop West. A few months later he sat down for an interview with Alex Jones, which (shockingly) did not yield positive results.
“I see good things about Hitler,” West said in the interview. “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler… [Nazis] did good things, too.” He added, “There’s a lot of things that I love about Hitler.”
Also last year, sources told Rolling Stone that West spoke of his admiration for Hitler during the making of The College Dropout, and tried to use propaganda strategies inspired by the Nazis to boost his own fame. Sources who worked with West claimed he had discussed his admiration for Hitler and what he sees as positive achievements of Nazi Germany for nearly two decades, describing it as a well-known but well-kept secret within the his inner circle.
In 2023, West has continued to double down on these thoughts. Last month, he dropped a new track “Vultures,” which features Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk, and Bump J, on WPWX Power 92 Chicago. More than halfway through the song, West raps, “How I’m antisemitic, I just fucked a Jewish bitch.”
A few weeks ago, West put himself alongside Hitler and Jesus Christ, and proclaimed he was on his “Farrakhan Don shit” in an unsettling, yet characteristic brain dump live-streamed during his Vultures album event in Las Vegas.
Video of the diatribe was captured by YesJulz on Instagram and later shared widely on social media. West took aim at an array of perceived foes and former friends, including Drake, Jay-Z, and Adidas, and continued his anti-semitic streak from last year, criticizing “Jewish n****s” who call these outbursts “episodes,” and claiming at various points that “Zionists” control hospitals and private schools.
“Who make the hospitals, though?” West said. “These are Zionists, n***a. This is what I’m trying to tell you. Jesus Christ, Hitler, Ye — third party, sponsor that, n***a. Bring your sponsorships to that.”
This is not the first time West has apologized, or, at least, attempted to apologize. After his October 2022 rant, West appeared on Piers Morgan’s talk show and said that he was “sorry” for the people who were offended by his tweets.
“I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the ‘death con’ — the confusion that I caused,” West said. “I feel like I caused hurt and confusion. And I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through and that I used my platform, where you say hurt people hurt people, and I was hurt.”
This story was updated on Dec. 26 at 4:25 p.m. to include a statement from the Anti-Defamation League.