Kanye West crashes Sean Combs’s trial with dramatic court appearance

Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West, appeared at Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sex trafficking trial on Friday – causing a brief spectacle inside the courthouse as he continues his public campaign calling for the music mogul’s release from jail.

Dressed in all white, Ye arrived at the Manhattan courthouse just after 11 a.m. Friday with Combs’s son Christian “King” Combs and was reportedly directed to an overflow room after he was denied a seat in the courtroom. He left after about 40 minutes.

In the months since Combs was charged with five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, Ye has repeatedly voiced his support for Combs, who has pleaded not guilty.

“Free Puff,” Ye wrote in a post on X in February, followed by a series of expletive-laden tweets alleging that the charges were a conspiracy. He was also heard in a leaked prison call with Combs, where the two disgraced rappers shared their love for each other.

“I just want to thank you so much for taking care of my kids,” Combs said. “Nobody reached out to them. Nobody called them.” Ye is reportedly collaborating with Christian on an upcoming album. In March, Ye released a now-deleted song with Christian that also featured Ye’s 11-year-old daughter, North, and audio of his phone conversation with Combs.

Ye, whose reputation largely disintegrated after he made antisemitic and pro-Adolf Hitler comments in 2022, has faced his own legal challenges in the past year.

At least a dozen complaints have been filed against him by former staffers, alleging a hostile work environment, unpaid wages, sexual harassment, and physical and sexual assault, among other claims.

In October, his former assistant accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her at an event co-hosted by Combs. Representatives for Ye did not respond to a request for comment at the time.

Combs, meanwhile, has been hit with 79 sexual assault complaints since his former romantic partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed her explosive lawsuit against him. He has denied all of the allegations against him.

Combs faces life in prison if convicted on all charges in his criminal trial, which is now in its fifth week of testimony.

Anne Branigin contributed to this report.