Kanye West has arrived at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal trial.
Sporting all white and wearing sunglasses, the rapper told a reporter that he came to the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan to show his support for the Bad Boy Records mogul, who is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.
West, who has been publicly supportive of Combs and called for his acquittal, arrived hours into the court proceedings on Friday and was greeted by Combs’ son, Christian “King” Combs, outside the courthouse. He was directed to the overflow room.
CNN reported on Thursday that West was in New York City and had been in touch with Christian Combs about attending the trial with Combs’ family. West has also reportedly been making music with Christian.
West appears in court one day after Combs’ ex-girlfriend, “Jane,” spent a whopping six days on the witness stand, alleging that Combs pressured her into having marathon sex sessions with male escorts while on drugs. Jane, testifying under a pseudonym, said Combs physically assaulted her on one occasion in June 2024.
Before the trial started, West’s name was listed in a questionnaire for potential jurors. The jurors were given a list of hundreds of celebrities and people in Combs’ orbit and asked by the judge if they were familiar with any of the names.
West’s name also circulated on social media after Jane testified that on one occasion in January 2024, she was in Las Vegas with an unnamed rapper who is “very close” to Combs and was described as “an icon in the music industry.” Jane said she was in a hotel room with the rapper, his partner and several other people as they watched a male escort have sex with a woman on the bed. Combs was not in attendance. Jane said the rapper asked her if she knew anybody “in this lifestyle,” and she recommended him an adult entertainer that she and Combs had hired. West was not named, but he quickly became part of social media speculation after the testimony.
Combs is pleading not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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