Kanye West has said he has been diagnosed with autism and is not bipolar, having sought rediagnosis at the insistence of his wife Bianca Censori.
The rapper - who has shocked the world again after collaborating with disgraced music mogul P Diddy - has been outspoken about his mental health in recent years, even writing on the cover of his 2018 album Ye: "I hate being bipolar / It's awesome".
But he has now said this diagnosis was not correct and that his autism has led him to act out in public in stunts such as wearing a Make America Great Again hat.
Ye, as he is now officially known, told Justin Ladboy on his podcast The Download this week: “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.”
“Autism takes you to a Rain Man thing,” West added. “‘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. When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I’ll do it the opposite way.”
West, who added that his album Bully would be released on June 15, is no longer taking medication for his health as autism is not an illness.
“Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease,” the NHS website states. “It means your brain works in a different way from other people.”
The NHS adds that people with autism typically find it hard to communicate and interact with other people or find it hard to understand how other people think or feel. They can also get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events.
Here are celebrities who have said they have autism.
Anthony Hopkins
The actor found out he had Asperger's syndrome when he was in his 70s but has said it’s more of a “fancy label” that he does not believe in.
Asperger's is a term used for people with autism who are generally able to function and may have high intelligence but social handicaps.
"I’m very focused in one way. I notice when I’m in restaurants, but that’s my behaviour,” he said, calling this a strength of the condition.
Dan Aykroyd
Another actor with Asperger's is the Canadian Aykroyd who has credited a total focus on ghosts to be helpful in coming up with the premise for his 1980s hit film Ghostbusters.
He has said: "One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement - I carry around a police badge with me, for example.
“I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film Ghostbusters was born."
Susan Boyle
The singer told the Guardian that being diagnosed with Asperger's was a relief in 2013.
She said: “I thought I had a more serious illness and couldn't function properly."
Boyle also added that she was told her IQ was above average.
Greta Thunberg
Swedish self-described “autistic climate justice activist”, Thunberg was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome aged 11, much earlier in life than those aforementioned.
She has said: “I have Asperger’s and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And – given the right circumstances – being different is a superpower.”
Sia
Sia was criticised for her 2021 film Music - especially for its depiction of people with autism.
However, the Australian singer said two years later that she had autism herself.
"I've felt like for 45 years, I was like, 'I've got to go put my human suit on'," she revealeda.
"And only in the last two years have I become fully myself."
Chris Packham
The environmentalist and presenter has said that he thought he was “broken” before a diagnosis aged 44 changed his outlook.
“I’d got to the beginning of my teens, and certainly into the early part of my 20s, my mental health issues were quite considerable,” he told ITV.
“I loathed myself, I thought that I was broken. Clearly, I was in a lesser cohort than most other people, so I blamed myself for everything that was going wrong.”
Kanye West
The rapper said he has been diagnosed at the age of 47.
Ye had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder but has now claimed this was not correct.
“When fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I’ll do it the opposite way,” he said.
What are the symptoms of autism?
According to the NHS, common signs of autism in adults include:
- Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
- Getting very anxious about social situations
- Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
- Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
- Finding it hard to say how you feel
- Taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like "break a leg"
- Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes
Common signs of autism in young children include:
- Not responding to their name
- Avoiding eye contact
- Not smiling when you smile at them
- Getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
- Repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
- Not talking as much as other children
- Not doing as much pretend play
- Repeating the same phrases
Common signs of autism in older children include:
- Not understanding social "rules", such as not talking over people
- Avoiding eye contact
- Getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you
- Noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not
- Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
- Liking to plan things carefully before doing them
