Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has sparked controversy once again with a recent Instagram post written entirely in Hebrew. The post, issued as an apparent apology to the Jewish community for “unplanned outbursts caused by [my] words or actions,” comes following a series of controversial incidents involving West’s comments about Jews.
In the Instagram post, Ye stated, “I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.”
The post also included a plea for forgiveness, with Ye stating, “Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”
This post follows a recent incident in which West went on an antisemitic rant in Las Vegas on December 15, 2022. In the 10-minute-long rant, West complained about the struggles of co-parenting with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, as well as former President Donald Trump and West’s former business partners. At one point, West also made factually inaccurate claims about the population of Jews in the world, stating “It’s 60 million of us in America, 60 million Jews in the world.”
It is unclear what West’s remark is in reference to, as the US population was reported as 331.9 million people in 2021, and the Jewish Agency for Israel claimed in 2023 that there are only 15.3 million Jewish people in the world.
The series of incidents has resulted in West losing partnerships and opportunities, and even being branded as the “Antisemite of the Year” in 2022 by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
The timing of the recent Instagram post, coming at the tail end of the holiday season, has led to questions about whether West, also known as Ye, is using this time to reflect on the past year and his controversial remarks.
The controversial nature of West’s recent actions, and the potential implications for his career, continue to be a topic of widespread discussion.