Kanye West had a lot to say during his recent Download appearance. The rapper discussed his career, his achievements, and his mental health. The third of these topics proved to be the most surprising. Ye told podcast host Justin Laboy that he is not bipolar, as was previously reported. Instead, Kanye West claimed that he is actually autistic. He credited his wife, Bianca Censori, with taking him to a specialist and helping him better understand the way he operates. "When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I'll do it the opposite way," the rapper explained.
Kanye West claimed Censori began to notice patterns in his behavior. "She said, 'something about your personality doesn't feel like it's bipolar,'" he recalled. "And come to find out it's really a case of autism." West went on to detail the ways in which he feels his autism has manifested. "Autism takes you to a Rain Man thing," he explained. "Oh man, I'ma wear this Trump hat. And then when people tell you to not do it, you just get on that one point. And that's my problem." Kanye West claimed that his desire to do things a certain way extends to his music.
Kanye West Credits His Wife With His Diagnosis
He doesn't want to adhere to what fans want, or what fans expect. It's an ideology that tracks with the polarizing and controversial rollouts for his last several albums. Kanye West has been criticized for his embrace of AI technology in recent months. The rapper told Laboy that he wants to use the technology the same way he used Autotune in the 2000s. West's rejection of a bipolar diagnosis paints his albums in 2018 in a particularly interesting light. His solo release, Ye, directly made reference to his alleged bipolar disorder on the cover.
"I hate being bipolar," the cover art read. "It's awesome." Kanye West also talked about bipolarism during a 2019 appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. "It’s a health issue," the rapper told David David Letterman. "[It] has a strong stigma on it. People are allowed to say anything about it." Kanye West has alluded to having autism in the past, however. A text exchange between the designer and Elon Musk was leaked online in 2023, and saw the former allude to signs of autism. "You never have to speak to me again," West allegedly texted Musk. "But if we do speak the nature of the relationship has to change. I’m not bipolar I have signs of autism from my car accident."
