Kanye “Ye” West made a brief, surprise visit to Manhattan federal court on Friday, seemingly to support Sean “Diddy” Combs in the fallen mogul’s ongoing sex-trafficking trial.
West arrived at the courthouse, dressed in all white and sporting sunglasses, shortly before 11:30 a.m. local time and spent a little over 30 minutes in the building, but his appearance instantly created a media frenzy.
West indicated he was there to support Combs, according to CNN and the Associated Press, but he didn’t respond when a reporter asked if he’d testify on Combs’ behalf, according to the AP.
The rapper did not make it into the courtroom where Combs’ trial is closing out its fifth week. Instead, he was ushered into a separate overflow room showing the proceedings on closed circuit TVs, an individual inside the courthouse told The Hollywood Reporter; the room was opened for Ye to view the trial alone, the source said.
Meanwhile, pandemonium spread inside the trial’s main overflow room on the 24th floor, with reporters roaming up stairwells and onto other floors searching for the rapper.
As the trial broke for lunch, word had spread among the media and community of livestreamers covering the trial that West had exited the courthouse. The crowd out front gradually thinned as hope that the rapper world return for the trial’s afternoon proceedings petered out.
West didn’t answer any additional questions as he left the courthouse.
West, who himself has remained among the most controversial figures in pop culture over his continued spree of hateful and antisemitic comments online, has voiced his support for Combs in the past. As TMZ reported, West shook hands with Combs’ son Christian Combs when he arrived.
Combs’ trial is one of the most high-profile criminal trials in recent memory as the music mogul faces allegations of abuse and sex trafficking, featuring testimonies from scores of witnesses including rapper Kid Cudi. The trial began last month, nearly 18 months after Combs’ ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, started the avalanche of claims against Combs after suing him in November of 2023. She settled a day later and testified that she settled for $20 million.
This story was first published on June 13 at 9:36 a.m.
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