Kanye West Reveals Autism Diagnosis, Says He Was Misdiagnosed as Bipolar

Rapper and fashion designer Kanye West has announced that he has been diagnosed with autism, stating that his previous bipolar diagnosis was incorrect.

During an appearance on Justin Laboy’s podcast The Download, West—who now goes by Ye—explained that his wife, Bianca Censori, encouraged him to seek reevaluation. “I went to this doctor … My wife took me because she said, ‘Something about your personality doesn’t seem bipolar. I’ve seen bipolar before.’ And I found out it’s actually autism.”

West said the diagnosis helped him make sense of certain past behaviors, such as his decision in 2018 to wear a Make America Great Again hat and publicly support Donald Trump, despite widespread criticism. “Autism puts you in a Rain Man mindset,” he explained. “‘I’ma wear this Trump hat because I like Trump in general.’ And then when people push back, you just lock onto that one thing. That’s my issue.”

He added that the same trait affects his creative process: “When fans tell me to make my album a certain way, I’ll do the opposite,” referencing the title of his song Can’t Tell Me Nothing. He also spoke about the challenges this presents for those close to him, including his longtime friend and former manager Don C. “It’s been so hard on him because he loves me. It’s tough for them—this is a grown man, you can’t control his bank account, you can’t control what I say on Twitter.”

Autism is not a mental illness, though in 2020, West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian acknowledged the difficulties of supporting someone with complex mental health needs. “Those who understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the person is a minor,” she said at the time. “People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual has to engage in the process of getting help, no matter how much family and friends try.”

West previously referenced his bipolar diagnosis in his music, even featuring the phrase I hate being Bi-Polar, it’s awesome on the cover of his 2018 album ye. However, he now believes that many of his struggles stemmed from a lack of control over his life. “A lot of what triggered those episodes … was the constant feeling of not being in control,” he said, citing the collapse of his deal with Adidas in 2022 after his antisemitic remarks.

West also shared that he no longer takes medication for mental health. Since autism is not considered an illness, it does not have a standard medical treatment. “I haven’t taken medication since I found out bipolar wasn’t the right diagnosis. I focus on finding ways to stay creative, because that’s what I bring to the world. The ramp-up is worth it as long as y’all get the creativity.” He added that he remains mindful of his mental state: “I watch for signs early—but once it happens, you’re in that state for a while. It could last three days, four days, a week. Some people, if they go too far, you have to take them somewhere private.”

During the interview, West also announced that his new album Bully will be released on June 15, his daughter North West’s birthday. He confirmed that he has reconciled with longtime producer Mike Dean, who had worked on all of West’s albums until creative differences kept him from contributing to Vultures I and Vultures II.

Describing Bully, West said: “I feel like this is my Miseducation [of Lauryn Hill], my Gnarls Barkley album.”