Brandon Marinkovich ‘22, Sports Editor
Ye, the artist formally known as Kanye West, has recently been lashing out on Instagram, berating and insulting his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian and her new boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson. After filing for divorce in January of 2021, Kardashian has since moved on from their marriage while, on the other hand, Ye has made what many consider to be a private matter, a public one.
Ye, who has historically gone through episodes of consistent and rapid fire posting on various social media platforms throughout the years, has turned to Instagram to publicize what seems to be an extremely negative reaction to his divorce. Ye has always been vocal about his issues with TikTok, and feels that he should have a say in what social media platforms his children are using.
As his episode continued, he attempted to publicly embarrass and attack Davidson, who has not spoken much at all on the matter. Ye posted embarrassing photos, further hurting his relationship with Kardashian and digging himself a deeper hole.
Many have been quick to condemn the actions of Ye, and rightfully so. His inability to handle this matter in a mature manner has caused many problems, and has brought a private family matter into the light. Although Ye is in the wrong, many people are viewing this situation without consideration about his past struggles with mental health throughout the years.
Ye, who struggles with Bipolar disorder and depression, has had very similar episodes like this before. This specific case has revived a topic that Ye has incorporated into his music throughout his entire career. In his debut album, on the track “All Falls Down”, he said, “We all self-conscious, I’m just the first to admit it.” It is evident that mental health has been a struggle for West since at least the beginning of his career.
Ye has been extremely transparent in his battle with bipolar depression, as he blatantly stated on the cover of his eighth studio album Ye, “I hate being Bi-Polar it’s awesome.” The story of Ye’s mental health is one that is not new, and should be taken into account, as we have seen his mental health negatively affect his actions in the past.
As he has entered into another apparent battle with his personal struggles, many are vocalizing their distaste to how he has been handling the situation at hand. While there is no excuse to what Ye is doing, there also needs to be a shift in how people are viewing the situation. By all means, he is wrong for what he has been doing, and the truth behind it is truly in question, as there is speculation that a lot of this may be to raise publicity for his newest album, Donda 2. While there is a lot of uncertainty and many unknown details about the matter, it is fair to say that there needs to be a new perspective among people who may scrutinize him. Without this, we may not be able to realize why he is acting out in such an innapropriate manner, as he is unable to see his children, is dealing with serious mental health issues, and is currently going through a very messy divorce.
This situation shows how mental health problems do not go away with success and fame. True inner peace isn’t found in wealth or lavish lifestyle, but it is found within the relationships that we form and hold close to our hearts.
Lyon Life 