Kanye West Tells Kris Jenner He Would ‘Rather Be Dead Than to Be on Medication’

Kanye West talks about his view on taking medication for his mental health in the new In Whose Name? documentary, which was filmed with his cooperation over a period of six years.

After visiting the White House in 2018 and having a difficult phone call with then-wife Kim Kardashian, the disgraced rapper — who lost his talent agent in February following a series of antisemitic rants — confronts his then-mother-in-law Kris Jenner.

West, now 48 — wearing a gray sweatshirt and “Make America Great Again” hat — tells the momager that the Kardashian family was able to get away with making him feel like “a piece of s—” because he was “medicated.”

“I would rather be dead, not in jail … I would rather be dead than to be on medication,” he tells Jenner, now 69, in footage seen in the limited-release documentary, which is directed by Nico Ballesteros.

Kardashian and Jenner did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

After years of fan speculation following a hospitalization from a “psychiatric emergency” in November 2016 after canceling his Saint Pablo tour — the “Runaway” rapper seemingly confirmed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018 alongside the release of his album Ye — which featured the phrase “I Hate Being Bipolar. It’s Awesome” on the cover.

In 2019, Kardashian also confirmed his diagnosis in an interview with Vogue, saying the couple had reached a “pretty good place” with his mental health.

“It is an emotional process, for sure,” she said at the time. 

While Kardashian, now 44, noted that things were “calm” at that point, “we can definitely feel episodes coming, and we know how to handle them.”