Inside Kanye “Ye” West and Kris Jenner’s feud over mental health, explained in new documentary ‘In Whose Name?’

Kanye West has long been a figure of public fascination for his music, his fashion and increasingly, his struggles with mental health. The new documentary In Whose Name? offers a six-year window into these struggles, including his relationships with family members -  particularly Kris Jenner. Ye, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018, is shown throughout the film wrestling with medication, perception and control. 

The documentary reveals his raw moments of arguments, tears and anger. In one scene, Kanye tells Jenner he would “rather be dead than be on medication.” In another, he accuses her and his then-wife of making him feel emasculated while he was under treatment. In Whose Name? doesn’t shy away from conflict but paints a picture of unresolved tension over how mental health has been handled in Kanye’s inner circle, especially by Jenner. For Ye, the feud is not just about misunderstandings but acknowledgement, accountability and how much family ties affect one’s psychological well-being.

‘In Whose Name?’ explores Ye’s struggles and his tense feud with Kris Jenner over how his mental health was handled

At the heart of the documentary In Whose Name? is a confrontation between Kanye West and Kris Jenner about how his mental health was managed and about how he was treated while on medication. The footage, directed by Nico Ballesteros and drawn from over 3,000 hours of recorded material since 2018, captures a tense and emotionally raw exchange. 
In the confrontation, Kanye accuses Jenner (and by implication, the Kardashian family) of making him feel degraded during a period when he felt vulnerable. 

“Y’all emasculated me … and made me feel like a piece of s—t,” he says, adding that Jenner could only “get away with it” because he was on medication. 

When Kris responds, she says, “It doesn’t matter what the internet says … it matters what we think, Ye.” Ye pushes back, insisting that it doesn't matter, especially how the family treated him and how his hospitalization affected his mental peace. Kris eventually acknowledges, through tears, that yes, she did have some effect on his mental health, affirming her concern and love.

“I love you … I want my daughter to love you the way you want her to love you,” she tells Ye. 

Though Ye has made public statements about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, In Whose Name? shows him questioning that label and suggests that he may instead identify more with autism. This theme emerges when he describes seeing traits in himself that align with the autism spectrum rather than bipolar patterns. 

The relevance of this in In Whose Name? 

The importance of In Whose Name? lies not in scandal, but in the fact that it lets the audience hear from Kanye and those closest to him unfiltered, emotionally raw and often without easy resolution. His feud with Kris Jenner over mental health isn’t just about blame but about how someone in the public eye experiences mental illness, the pressures of family expectations and what it means to be heard.

Kanye West’s willingness to show his vulnerability - even if in moments of anger or confusion - raises questions about support, agency, and accountability. For Kris Jenner, the documentary captures her balancing expressions of concern, love and at times defensiveness, as she is asked to reckon with her role in Ye’s psychological space.

Ultimately, In Whose Name? suggests that in situations like this, more than anything, people want acknowledgement that their pain, the effects of actions from others matter. In this case, Kanye West, Ye and Kris Jenner are all part of a narrative in which understanding mental health means first admitting how much every relationship around it shapes the experience.