Jonah Hill Says It’s ‘Bizarre’ Kanye West Once Posted About Liking Jewish People Again Because of Him: ‘The Hate Stuff Sucks’ but ‘He’s the Greatest Artist to Ever Live’

Jonah Hill said during a recent appearance on “The Zane Lowe Show” that it was “bizarre” when Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, took to Instagram in 2023 and wrote that Hill’s performance in the 2012 comedy film “21 Jump Street” made him “like Jewish people again.”

“I felt that he did this bizarre public thing to kind of make up, like, ‘It’s all good cause I love Jonah,’” Hill said. “[It] just sat with me in a way that it’s, like, all good. I love him still, and I hope whatever happens, he can heal or whatever, and everyone can heal from all that stuff.”

Earlier in the interview, Hill praised Ye as “the greatest artist to ever live” while also recognising the impact of his antisemitic comments.

“I think there is no artist I probably love more across any genre ever. I think he is probably the greatest artist ever to live,” Hill said. He later added, “He’s a genius, and the stuff with the hate stuff sucks. What are you going to say? It sucks, no matter who you are, to hear that. Now, do I know what’s going on? No. Am I going to punch someone while they’re down? No, of course not.”

Ye has a long history of making antisemitic remarks. In late 2022, Ye wrote on social media that he planned to go “death con 3” on Jewish people and made a highly controversial appearance on Alex Jones’ “InfoWars.” But in March of 2023, Ye posted a poster for “21 Jump Street” on Instagram and wrote, “Watching Jonah Hill in ‘21 Jump Street’ made me like Jewish people again. No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people.”

Ye’s more recent antisemitic offenses include selling swastika t-shirts on his website and releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler.” But in late January, he took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his history of hate speech. In the ad, he wrote, “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”