Just two years after he was seemingly canceled for his infamous antisemitic rants, Kanye West claimed alcohol was the cause of the highly insensitive remarks.
While appearing on Candace Owens’ Candace podcast, West admitted he had been intoxicated when he made the offensive comments. “I was drinking when I put up the DEFCON tweet,” Ye explained. “You wanna know what alcohol I had inside me? Hennessy. It turns us grey. The demons [come out].”
Kanye West also told Owens he didn’t reveal what caused his antisemitic rant in the past because he was avoiding his words being “discredited.” He believes his words reflected the “truth.”
In Oct.2022, West took to X (formerly Twitter) and unleashed. “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” he wrote at the time. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
The antisemitic rant was met with quick backlash towards West. The rapper-turned-fashion-designer ended up losing partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga, and Gap. The severed ties with Adidas ended up dropping his earnings so low that he lost his billionaire status.
Despite the huge impact it caused, West refused to retract his antisemitic rant. Instead, he doubled down and told Piers Morgan that he was “absolutely not” sorry for his words. However, he did show that he regretted the hurt he had caused to others.
Kanye West Apologized for His Antisemitic Rant One Year Later
Despite being adamant about not apologizing for his antisemitic rant, Kanye West ended up apologizing for his remarks in Dec. 2023.
In a post on social media, written in Hebrew, West stated, “I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any ‘unintended outburst’ caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”
He continued by writing, “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.”
The Anti-Defamation League responded to the apology by stating it was a “first step” on a long journey towards making amends to the Jewish community and all of those he hurt. “Ultimately, actions will speak louder than words but this initial act of contrition is welcome.”
Although he made the apology, it has since been deleted.