Years After Saying He Was Diagnosed As Bipolar, Kanye West Now Claims That He Was "Misdiagnosed" And Has Autism Instead

This article contains discussion of mental illness.

OK, let's keep this one as straightforward as possible: Way, way back in 2018, Kanye West started to talk publicly about living with bipolar disorder. On his album ye from that year, he referred to the condition as his "superpower."

In 2020, amidst a string of erratic public statements and actions from the superstar musician, Kanye's then-wife Kim Kardashian released a statement addressing his diagnosis directly, calling for "compassion" in regards to his "compulsive behavior."

During a recent appearance on Justin LaBoy's The Download podcast, Kanye claimed that his bipolar diagnosis was actually a "misdiagnosis" — and that he's actually autistic.

In the interview, Kanye suggested that it was his current partner Bianca Censori who encouraged him to seek a second opinion regarding his initial diagnosis.

"My wife took me because she said, 'Something about your personality doesn't feel like it's bipolar, I've seen bipolar before,'" he said. "And come to find out, it's really a case of autism that I have."

In the interview, Kanye also rationalized how those around him have dealt with the many, many highly controversial and offensive things he's said over the past few years. "It's so difficult for them because this is like a grown man, you can't tell him," he said. "You can't take control of his bank account. You can't control what I'm saying on Twitter."

He also said that "the episodes" the public have witnessed are due to "the constant feeling of not being in control" and being "spun...out of control" as a result.

Kanye further claimed that, since receiving a new diagnosis, he's ceased taking his medication that was previously prescribed to him. "It's finding stuff that doesn't block the creativity, obviously that's what I bring to the world," he said, presumably referring to his perceived beliefs as to how the medication affected him. "It's worth the ramp up, as long as y'all get the creativity."

OK! As with all things Kanye in the past decade or so, we're just going to have to sit back and see what comes from all of this. In the meantime, you can watch the entire interview right here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.