Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, shouldn’t have any more trouble getting into the Manhattan courtroom for the sex-trafficking trial of his pal Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The “Jesus Walks” rapper has been added to Combs’ friends and family trial guest list, according to two sources with knowledge of the document.
Those on the guest list have access to two reserved seat rows on the left side of the 26th-floor federal courtroom where the hip-hop mogul’s criminal trial is now in its sixth week.
It’s not clear whether Ye will be returning to support Combs at his trial, but if he does there will be a seat available for him alongside Combs’ family members in the courtroom.
Conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos, who has confirmed to Business Insider that he is a representative for Ye, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Ye turned up at the Manhattan courthouse last Friday to attend Combs’ trial, but he was denied entry into the trial courtroom, courthouse sources previously told BI.
At the time, Ye was not on Combs’ list of approved family members or friends, one of the sources said.
“He did not wait in line like everybody else from the public,” the source said. “No one gets special treatment.”
Jane Rosenberg/REUTERS
Instead, courthouse staff opened an overflow room on the 23rd floor, where Ye and Christian Combs, one of Combs’ children, could view the trial proceedings on a screen, the court source said. Ye’s bodyguard and another Combs supporter also sat with them.
Dressed in an all-white denim outfit, Ye listened to about half an hour of testimony before he left the courthouse that day.
Ye, whose antisemitic behavior in recent years has led to widespread backlash, has previously taken to social media to back Combs.
In February, he pleaded to President Donald Trump in a post on X to “PLEASE FREE MY BROTHER PUFF.” Combs has been known as “Puff Daddy.”
Combs has been locked up at a federal Brooklyn jail since he was arrested and indicted last September on the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that he’s now on trial for.
The music tycoon has pleaded not guilty, and his defense attorneys have argued that any sex he engaged in with his accusers has been consensual.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case this week before Combs’ defense presents his side to the jury.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.
