Kanye West looks to be making a return to the public eye.

If you’re a fan of Ye’s, you’ll know that he recently took a step back from the limelight after his split from Kim Kardashian hit a major rough patch.

After filing for divorce fairly amicably back in February 2021, Kim and Ye’s breakup took a messy turn in November, around the time that things started getting serious between Kim and her current boyfriend, Pete Davidson.

Of course, in light of Kim’s budding romance with Pete, this made for quite the awkward situation, and as a result, Ye wound up taking his frustrations to social media.

Starting in February and posting regularly until mid-March, Ye harassed Kim and Pete on Instagram, sharing their private messages and even encouraging his fans to yell at them in public.

Ye’s constant posts sparked major concern among his followers, with many accusing the rapper of exhibiting abusive behavior toward Kim and Pete. And in March, his Instagram account was suspended for 24 hours after he violated the platform’s harassment policies.

Flash forward to today, and Ye is yet to make a full return to the public eye, having only been spotted on the occasional public outing.

Interestingly, reports in the aftermath of their feud claimed that the Yeezy founder was actively seeking “behavioral” treatment, in order “to be a better human and a better dad.”

Taking to the stage to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to his longtime friend Sean “Diddy” Combs, the Donda rapper — whose face was completely covered by a black mask, hat, and sunglasses — was met with loud applause from the crowd.

“How do we crown our kings? How do we appreciate our kings?” his speech began, before going on to praise Diddy’s work in the music industry.

“To see Puff in real life at the ‘Missing You’ video, just like me tapping free like a little kid — I just need to meet this man. This is my favorite artist,” he said, sounding noticeably upbeat.

“You see I’m saying ‘favorite artist,’” he clarified. “Everything — not specifically production, the drip. Back then there was so many rules to hip-hop, and he broke all of them.”

Reflecting on what he learned from Diddy in his own career, Ye even made reference to his failed marriage to Kim, sparking mixed reactions from the crowd.

“He inspired so many of my choices. So many of my life choices. My wife choices,” he said as the audience erupted into noise.

“And here we are,” he added with a laugh. “Thanks for that, Puff.”

What’s more, Ye also appeared to corroborate reports that he wanted to take “a year off” in the wake of his public feud with Kim, confirming in his speech that he recently took “a little hiatus.”

“I said, ‘I want to just declare myself legally dead for a year,’” he told the audience, seemingly referring to his absence since being banned from Instagram. “Nobody messin’ me. You know, I just want to be off the grid.”

But, despite his hopes of keeping a low profile, Ye seemed to suggest that the opportunity to honor Diddy was reason enough to return to the public eye.

“Puff is pretty persistent,” he explained. “Any of us in this room, if Puff ever need us, we need to jump and be there. This man has been through and survived a lot of stuff. Broke down a lot of doors so we could be standing. I know for me, that I could be here today.”

He finished the emotional speech by telling Diddy in the audience: “If I never told you, I love you. You’re my brother.”

So, in light of his absence from the spotlight, fans were certainly glad to see Ye sounding so positive, with this marking his first awards show appearance since he pulled out of Coachella in April and had his Grammys performance scrapped in the same month due to “concerning online behavior.”

The speech is also the first time that Ye has made reference to Kim since they came to blows on Instagram, and coincides with reports that the exes are currently working on rebuilding their relationship as co-parents.

In fact, just over a week ago, Kim gave her ex a rare shoutout too, praising him for being the “best dad” to their four kids in a sweet Father’s Day tribute.

Well, if Ye’s joke about their failed marriage is any indication, it seems like things might finally be looking a little more friendly between Kimye as they navigate the final stages of their split.