Kanye West sat across from Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto in a New York meeting room, finally ready to confront the antisemitic demons that obliterated his billion-dollar empire and left him a pariah in the entertainment industry.
The 47-year-old rapper appeared humbled as he addressed the Israeli-Moroccan Orthodox rabbi through a translator during an encounter shared on Rabbi Pinto’s social media platforms.
“I feel really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability,” Kanye West told the Rabbi, his voice carrying none of the bravado that once defined his public persona.
The Grammy winner, who has battled bipolar disorder for years, attempted to explain his descent into antisemitic rhetoric that began escalating in 2022 and reached horrifying new depths in 2025.
“I was dealing with some various issues, bipolar, also, so it would take the ideas I had and had them, take them to an extreme where I would forget about the protection of the people around me and myself,” West explained to Rabbi Pinto. “Some people aren’t that knowledgeable about what causes it and the way you act when you have the disease.”
West’s antisemitic outbursts first gained widespread attention in October 2022 when he posted on social media that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
The attack on Jews triggered a corporate exodus that would ultimately cost him his billionaire status. Adidas, which had partnered with West since 2013 on the wildly successful Yeezy sneaker line, terminated its relationship in October 2022 following his repeated antisemitic comments.
The German sportswear giant revealed the decision cost them over $1 billion in lost revenue, but executives deemed West’s rhetoric too toxic to ignore.
Gap, Balenciaga and JPMorgan Chase quickly followed suit, severing all business ties with the once-untouchable artist. Forbes removed West from their billionaire list, estimating his net worth had plummeted from $2 billion to $400 million virtually overnight.
But West’s antisemitic campaign didn’t end there.
In May 2025, on the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, West released a song titled “Heil Hitler” that included samples from Adolf Hitler’s speeches and promoted Nazi ideology.
The track’s release prompted Australia to revoke West’s entry visa, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stating the country would not tolerate the promotion of Nazi ideology.
Several European nations followed with similar travel restrictions.
West’s meeting with Rabbi Pinto represents his first public attempt at reconciliation with the Jewish community since his antisemitic spiral began. Using a child-parent analogy, West tried to explain his accountability for the damage caused.
“It’s like if you left the house and left your kid at the house and your kid went and messed up the kitchen and messed up the garage, mess up the living room. When you get back, it’s your responsibility, because that’s your child,” Kanye West said.
Rabbi Pinto, speaking through his translator, offered a path toward redemption rooted in Jewish tradition.
“Judaism brought to the world a way for someone, when he regrets something that you have done wrong The Jews believe you can regret and fix it,” the Rabbi explained. “From now on strong things, good things.”
The timing of West’s apology coincides with the emergence of artificial intelligence-generated videos, which have created new confusion about authentic celebrity content online.
Advanced AI tools, such as OpenAI’s Sora, can now create lifelike videos that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from what’s real.
The technology has raised concerns about deepfakes and misinformation, particularly as watermarks indicating AI generation can be easily removed.
So, social media users have been confused about the authenticity of his apology or if the Rabbi himself is trolling the world using advanced technology.