Sitting across from Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto in a New York conference room, Kanye West is finally ready to face the demons of anti-Semitism that destroyed his multibillion-dollar empire and made him an entertainment pariah.
The 47-year-old rapper appeared humble while speaking to the Israeli-Moroccan Orthodox rabbi through a translator during a meeting shared on Rabbi Pinto’s social media platform.
“I feel so blessed to be able to sit with you today and take on the responsibility,” Kanye West told Rabi, his voice devoid of any of the bravado that once defined his public persona.
The Grammy winner, who has battled bipolar disorder for years, sought to explain his descent into anti-Semitic rhetoric, which escalated starting in 2022 and reached horrific new depths in 2025.
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“I’m dealing with some different issues, as well as bipolar disorder, so it takes the thoughts I have and the thoughts I have to extremes and makes me forget to protect the people around me and myself,” West explained to Rabbi Pinto. “Some people don’t quite understand what causes this disease and how to behave when you have it.”
West’s anti-Semitic outbursts first attracted widespread attention in October 2022, when he posted on social media that he would participate in “Death Hoax for Jews 3.”
Attacks on Jews triggered a corporate exodus that ultimately cost him his billionaire status. Adidas had worked with West on the highly successful Yeezy sneaker line since 2013, but ended the partnership in October 2022 after West made repeated anti-Semitic comments.
The German sportswear giant revealed the decision cost them more than $1 billion in lost revenue, but executives felt West’s comments were too vicious to ignore.
Gap, Balenciaga and JPMorgan Chase quickly followed suit, severing all business ties with the once untouchable artist. Forbes removed West from its list of billionaires, estimating that his net worth plummeted from $2 billion to $400 million almost overnight.
But West’s campaign against anti-Semitism didn’t end there.
In May 2025, on the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, West released a song called “Heil Hitler”, which included a sample of Adolf Hitler’s speech to promote Nazi ideology.
The track’s release prompted Australia to revoke West’s entry visa, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke saying the country would not tolerate the promotion of Nazi ideology.
Several European countries have adopted similar travel restrictions.
West’s meeting with Rabbi Pinto was his first public attempt to reconcile with the Jewish community since anti-Semitism spiraled. West used the analogy of a child and a parent to try to explain his responsibility for the damage caused.
“It’s like, if you leave the house and leave your kid at home and your kid goes and messes up the kitchen, the garage, the living room. When you come back, it’s your responsibility because that’s your kid,” Kanye West said.
Through translation, Rabbi Pinto offers a path to salvation rooted in Jewish tradition.
“Judaism gave the world a way that when someone regrets something you did wrong, Jews believe you can regret it and fix it,” the rabbi explained. “Strong things, good things, from now on.”
The timing of West’s apology coincides with the emergence of artificial intelligence-generated videos, which has created new confusion about authentic celebrity content online.
Advanced artificial intelligence tools, such as OpenAI’s Sora, can now create photorealistic videos that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from the real thing.
The technology has raised concerns about deepfakes and misinformation, particularly because it has been shown that AI-generated watermarks can be easily removed.
As a result, social media users were confused about the veracity of his apology and whether the rabbi himself was using advanced technology to troll the world.
