Over the last couple of years, Kanye West has been working fervently to get back in fans’ good graces. In doing so, he’s been extremely candid about how his mental health had deteriorated progressively since his 2002 car crash.
“That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal back in January 2026. “Bipolar disorder comes with its own defense system. Denial. When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely.”
Now, he’s further explaining how his mental health struggles have impacted his new music as well. In a conversation with gamma. CEO Larry Jackson, Kanye West admitted that BULLY was made during an episode. Consequently, he views the album’s release as a triumph.
“A year into making the project, I went into an episode, so this right here is a celebration, a victory, and a success story of people who have dealt with mental health crises,” Ye shared. “For you guys to be so forgiving and so supportive just means the world to me.”
Kanye West Candidly Talks About Why ‘Bully’ Meant so Much to Him
Over the past few months, Ye has been celebrating BULLY and his career at large with massive stadium performances across the world. Despite various countries aiming to stop him from performing, he’s broken attendance records all over the world, including in Turkey. At these shows, he’ll perform atop massive globe fixtures while going through his hits.
When talking to Plaqueboymax back in May 2026, Kanye West said that holds a symbolic meaning for him. “Coming back standing on top of the world after everything we’ve been through, just to come back on top of the world,” he said at the time.
Even when Ye has had to postpone or outright cancel his shows, he has made it a point to accept responsibility for his past actions. There are no frustrated tirades about being silenced. Instead, he has expressed understanding for countries like France trying to stop him.
“I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends. I take full responsibility for what’s mine, but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me,” Kanye West wrote in an April 2026 statement. “Looking forward to the next shows. See you at the top of the globe.”
Photo by Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Vogue
The post Kanye West Candidly Opens up About Having a Mental Health Episode While Making His Latest Album ‘BULLY’ appeared first on VICE.
