By WILL POTTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and DANIEL BATES AT THE DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN FEDERAL COURTHOUSE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Kanye West stunned the ongoing trial for Shawn ‘Diddy‘ Combs as he showed up to back the disgraced rap mogul, hugging his son in a show of support.
West caused chaos at the trial in Manhattan on Friday as he surprised crowds outside the courthouse with wife Bianca Censori in tow.
The artist, who now performs by the name Ye, wore an all-white denim outfit to the trial.
As he strolled up to the courthouse, West was met by Diddy’s son Christian King Combs, and the pair embraced before entering together.
Kanye had not announced his arrival beforehand, with footage from crowds outside the courthouse showing their surprise as he made his entrance.
He was seen entering the courthouse, and briefly entered an overflow room, but did not enter the courtroom itself where Diddy has stood trial since May 5.
He remained in the building for around an hour before departing again.
It comes as Diddy faces up to life in prison for drug trafficking and racketeering charges, which he has pleaded not guilty to.
Kanye West stunned the ongoing trial for Shawn ‘Diddy’ Combs as he showed up to support the disgraced rap mogul
West hugged one of Diddy’s sone as he made his surprise appearance at the trial on Friday
It comes as Friday’s court proceedings were set to include testimony from one of Diddy’s ex-assistants, Jonathan Perez, who worked for the rap mogul from 2021 to 2024.
Perez asked for immunity as he prepared to take the stand, before Kanye’s surprise appearance stole the show.
He worked for Diddy during his relationship with the previous witness, ‘Jane,’ who testified under a pseudonym to protect her identity as she gave emotional testimony about how she felt forced to have sex with strangers to please Diddy.
Prosecutors say they charged the rapper with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy because he used threats, drugs and violence to force women into unwelcome sexual experiences and used his employees and associates to help him get what he wanted.
In testimony from FBI Special Agent Andre Lamon earlier Friday, he offered details of what agents found in Diddy’s Los Angeles mansion in a raid in March 2024.
He said agents found over 1,000 bottles of lubricant in the home, including around 900 bottles of Astroglide and 200 bottles of baby oil.
In a surprise move from the prosecution on Friday, they also requested one of the jurors in the trial be dismissed because of ‘inconsistent’ statements.
The said he was a 41-year-old man who lives in the Bronx and works for the New York City Department of Corrections, but ‘has said multiple things that cannot all be true’.
The prosecutor added that this was a ‘serious issue’.
Kanye had not announced his arrival beforehand, and he remained in the courthouse for around an hour before departing
The artist, seen leaving the trial, was seen entering the courthouse, and briefly entered an overflow room, but did not enter the courtroom itself where Diddy has stood trial since May 5
It comes as Diddy faces life in prison for drug trafficking and racketeering charges, which he has pleaded not guilty to
The juror – a black man – had let slip some information to court staff during ‘banter’ which prompted prosecutors to go back and review his statements during Voir Dire.
According to the judge, the juror said he had moved from the Bronx in the last two weeks and that it could have been ‘ambiguous’ where he lived.
Diddy’s lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said that they would gladly waive any appeal in the event of a guilty verdict regarding this juror.
Marc Agnifilo, another of Diddy’s lawyers, said that the juror’s statements were ‘innocuous, harmless’ and because he wasn’t used to dealing with the court.
Judge Subramanian said he would decide how to move forward at the end of the day.
