Kanye West attended Diddy’s sex trafficking trial

Kanye West has shown up for the criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

“I came to the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan to show my support for the Bad Boy Records mogul, who is accused of sex trafficking and racketeering,” the rapper, dressed entirely in white and sporting sunglasses, told a reporter.

Hours into Friday’s court proceedings, Combs’ son, Christian “King” Combs, welcomed West, who has openly backed Combs and demanded his acquittal, outside the courthouse.

Court marshals, anticipating a possible diversion, told reporters and the public to remain silent and focused on the courtroom regardless of who entered. To watch the trial on a video link alongside Christian Combs and his bodyguards, Kanye West was led to his own overflow room, away from the jury and the media. Despite sitting in the front row and paying close attention to the feed, West reportedly left the courthouse less than 30 minutes after media and members of the public poured into the room.

West was in New York City and had contacted Christian Combs about going to the trial with Combs’ family, according to a CNN report on Thursday. Reports also suggest that Kanye West and Christian have been working together on songs.

One day after Combs’ ex-girlfriend, “Jane,” spent an incredible six days on the witness stand, claiming that Combs coerced her into engaging in lengthy, drug-fueled sex sessions with male escorts, Kanye West shows up in court. Under a false identity, Jane testified that Combs had once physically abused her in June 2024.

West’s name appeared on a questionnaire for prospective jurors before the start of the trial. The judge asked the jurors if they knew any of the names on a list of hundreds of celebrities and individuals in Combs’ inner circle.

After Jane testified that she was in Las Vegas once in January 2024 with an unidentified rapper who is “very close” to Combs and was referred to as “an icon in the music industry,” West’s name also went viral on social media. Jane claimed that she was seeing a male escort have sex with a woman on the bed in a hotel room with the rapper, his boyfriend, and a few other individuals. Combs wasn’t there either. When the rapper asked Jane whether she knew somebody “in this lifestyle,” she suggested an adult entertainer whom she and Combs had employed, according to Jane. No one gave West a name, but after the testimony, social media rumors quickly circulated about him.

For years, Kanye West has caused controversy of his own by praising Adolf Hitler and making antisemitic remarks.

Combs is entering a not guilty plea to accusations of racketeering and sex trafficking. If found guilty, he could face lifelong imprisonment.