Rapper Kanye West, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 after being hospitalized for a psychiatric emergency, has said his initial diagnosis was incorrect and he is instead on the autism spectrum, a new diagnosis he blamed for some of his erratic behavior in recent years.
Kanye West and Bianca Censori on the red carpet for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025.
West, who now goes by “Ye,” spoke with Justin Laboy on his podcast “The Download” and revealed his wife, model Bianca Censori, pushed him to see a new doctor due to her skepticism over his decade-old bipolar diagnosis.
"I’ve come to find that it’s really a case of autism that I have," West said, adding that the disorder has made him obstinate and referencing the title of his hit song "Can't Tell Me Nothing."
He said autism, a neurological and developmental disorder, has fueled some of his strange public behavior, specifically referencing when he wore a Make America Great Again hat in 2018 and praised Donald Trump, saying “the mob can’t make me not love him;" and when antisemitic remarks led to the end of his lucrative collaboration with Adidas.
West also said his behavior has been hard for those close to him: "It’s so difficult for them, because this is like a grown man—you can’t take control of his bank account, you can’t control what I’m saying on Twitter.”
West said he no longer takes the medication that was prescribed for his bipolar disorder, saying it blocked his creativity.
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“Autism takes you to a Rain Man thing,” West said. “When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I’ll do it the opposite way... The constant feeling of not being in control spun me out of control.”
In this same interview, West said that his new album “Bully” will be released June 15.
West sparked controversy at the Grammy Awards Sunday when he and Censori unexpectedly walked the red carpet. His wife walked in a sheer dress that put her nude body on display, sparking an online debate over whether the dress was an empowering artistic statement or a degrading form of coercion by West. He then posted to X that the "invisible dress" was tailored six times before the event: "And just like magic poof we disappeared.”
West, one of the biggest names in hip-hop, had a series of hits in the early 2000s, like "Gold Digger" and "Stronger," that catapulted him to success. He has been nominated for 76 Grammy awards—including three consecutive Album of the Year nominations, the first solo artist to achieve the milestone—and has won two dozen. Over the last decade, he has made headlines for his marriage to Kim Kardashian (they divorced in 2022) and his public mental health battle. He abruptly ended a concert in 2016 and was committed for more than 10 days, with authorities citing hallucinations and paranoia. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder that year but did not reveal it until 2018, the same year he admitted to having become addicted to opioids. He spoke about the diagnosis on and off over the years, at times calling it a misdiagnosis.
West, once counted among the world's billionaires, lost the status when his Adidas deal fell through after a series of antisemitic remarks made on social media and in national media appearances. The partnership to produce and sell Yeezy products accounted for $1.5 billion of his net worth. Without Adidas, Forbes estimated in 2022 that West is worth $400 million thanks to his real estate, value of his music catalog, stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear firm, Skims, and other assets. West earlier this year claimed to be a billionaire again, but we have not changed our valuation.