Rapper and fashion designer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, revealed in February 2025 that he had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) after seeking a second medical opinion.
Speaking on The Download podcast with Justin LaBoy, Ye said he had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 but later learned that autism was a more accurate explanation for many of his lifelong traits.
According to him, it was his wife, Bianca Censori, who encouraged him to undergo another evaluation after feeling that his behavior did not align with bipolar disorder.
Recalling the experience, Ye said, "My wife took me because she said, 'Something about your personality doesn't feel like it's bipolar, I've seen bipolar before.'"
After consulting a new doctor, he was told, "I've come to find that it's really a case of autism that I have."
He also reflected on how the diagnosis helped him understand certain behaviors, explaining, "Autism takes you to a Rain Man thing. When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I'll do it the opposite way."
Ye added that he stopped taking the medication prescribed for bipolar disorder after learning it had been a misdiagnosis, noting that autism itself is not treated with medication.
He now focuses on managing his mental health in ways that do not interfere with his creativity.
"It's finding stuff that doesn't block the creativity... It's worth the ramp-up, as long as y'all get the creativity."
The VULTURES rapper also acknowledged that he remains mindful of periods when his mental health becomes more difficult to manage.
The announcement followed years of public speculation about Ye's mental health.
In 2023, screenshots of a private text message he had sent to Elon Musk reportedly surfaced online, in which he wrote, "I'm not bipolar; I have signs of autism from my car accident."
The crash he was referring to was his widely publicized near-fatal collision in October 2002, when he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel of a rented Lexus and collided head-on with another vehicle.
West suffered a shattered jaw and severe facial fractures, while the other driver sustained broken legs.
Ye has since suggested in interviews and private messages that he believes the accident contributed to his autism.
However, there is no established medical evidence that traumatic car accidents cause autism.
His 2025 interview marked the first time he publicly said that a medical evaluation had concluded he was autistic, after years of public discussions surrounding his mental health.
Speaking on The Download podcast with Justin LaBoy, Ye said he had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 but later learned that autism was a more accurate explanation for many of his lifelong traits.
According to him, it was his wife, Bianca Censori, who encouraged him to undergo another evaluation after feeling that his behavior did not align with bipolar disorder.
Recalling the experience, Ye said, "My wife took me because she said, 'Something about your personality doesn't feel like it's bipolar, I've seen bipolar before.'"
After consulting a new doctor, he was told, "I've come to find that it's really a case of autism that I have."
He also reflected on how the diagnosis helped him understand certain behaviors, explaining, "Autism takes you to a Rain Man thing. When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I'll do it the opposite way."
Ye added that he stopped taking the medication prescribed for bipolar disorder after learning it had been a misdiagnosis, noting that autism itself is not treated with medication.
He now focuses on managing his mental health in ways that do not interfere with his creativity.
"It's finding stuff that doesn't block the creativity... It's worth the ramp-up, as long as y'all get the creativity."
The VULTURES rapper also acknowledged that he remains mindful of periods when his mental health becomes more difficult to manage.
The announcement followed years of public speculation about Ye's mental health.
In 2023, screenshots of a private text message he had sent to Elon Musk reportedly surfaced online, in which he wrote, "I'm not bipolar; I have signs of autism from my car accident."
The crash he was referring to was his widely publicized near-fatal collision in October 2002, when he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel of a rented Lexus and collided head-on with another vehicle.
West suffered a shattered jaw and severe facial fractures, while the other driver sustained broken legs.
Ye has since suggested in interviews and private messages that he believes the accident contributed to his autism.
However, there is no established medical evidence that traumatic car accidents cause autism.
His 2025 interview marked the first time he publicly said that a medical evaluation had concluded he was autistic, after years of public discussions surrounding his mental health.