Kanye West Claims He Has Autism After Alleged Bipolar Misdiagnosis
Written by djfrosty on February 6, 2025
Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty
Ye aka Kanye West revealed that he has autism, claiming he was misdiagnosed as being bipolar during a recent interview.
In the latest episode of Justin LaBoy’s The Download podcast, Kanye West said that he has autism, a conclusion he came to with the aid of his wife, Bianca Censori. “I went to this doctor … My wife took me to do that because she said, ‘Something about your personality doesn’t feel like it’s bipolar, I’ve seen bipolar before.’ And I’ve come to find that it’s really a case of autism that I have,” he said.
West said that the diagnosis helped him get a better understanding of his behavioral outbursts, like sporting a “Make America Great Again” cap in 2018 and supporting Donald Trump, allegedly. “Autism takes you to a Rain Man thing,” West said, explaining that it was on purpose. “‘I’ma wear this Trump hat because I like Trump in general.’ And then when people tell you to not do it, you just get on that one point. And that’s my problem.”
The “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” rapper was candid about how those in his inner circle have had difficulty dealing with his periods of erratic behavior, citing his relationship with his friend and former manager Don C. “It’s been so hard on him because he loves me. 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.” He added, “But a lot of what was sending me into the episodes — and it’s hard … [is] the constant feeling of not being in control, spun me out of control.” West also spoke about not taking his bipolar disorder medication, and working with his mental health to make music, saying of any potential episode that he does “watch for it beforehand” “It’s finding stuff that doesn’t block the creativity, obviously that’s what I bring to the world,” he said. “It’s worth the ramp-up, as long as y’all get the creativity.”
West also talked about his upcoming Bully album, which he says will be released on June 15, the same day as his daughter North’s birthday. He also revealed that he’s reconciled with producer Mike Dean, who worked with him on all his albums up to the last Vultures albums before they fell out.
Check out the entire interview above.