Kanye West’s Very Short Visit To Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Trial Proves More Photo-Op Than Support

Former employees to Sean “Diddy” Combs spent time on the stand today at the Bad Boy Records founder’s sex-trafficking detailing his “King Night” sex sessions, but the real attraction in the lower Manhattan courthouse was infamous in a Runaway way.

As rumored, Kanye West showed up Friday at his sometimes collaborator’s trial as the prosecution moved into the home stretch on presenting its often very vivid case to the jury.

Showing up around 8:30 a.m. PT during a short break in the trial, the notorious multiple Grammy winner who goes by Ye now, replied with a curt “Yes” when asked walking into the Daniel Patrick Moynahan federal courthouse if he was there to support the ‘All About the Benjamins’ performer. West was seen shaking hands with Christian Combs, one of Diddy’s sons, as he entered the high security building.

However, the ‘Power’ performer probably didn’t get the star treatment he is used to. Arriving after testimony had begun in Judge Arun Subramanian’s already packed courtroom, the sunglasses’ wearing West was sent to an overflow room on the 23rd floor to observe the proceedings.

With Combs’ ex-personal assistant Jonathan Perez as a witness under an immunity deal this morning, the testimony and the overflow room clearly wasn’t to the “Heil Hitler” rapper’s preference. West spent less than 45 minutes at the trial before exiting the building and jumping into a waiting car.

Part of hip hop‘s upper echelon, Diddy and the openly anti-semitic Ye have been working together more of late as they both have become more controversial, bordering on pariahs, for differing reasons. To that, West dropped the Combs’ featuring tune ‘Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine’ on March 15 online. Diddy’s son Christian also worked on the song.

Arrested in September and on trial in NYC since May 12, the 55-year-old Combs could end up spending the rest of his life in prison if found guilty on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and more. Facing a slew of civil suits from dozens of accusers of abuse and assault, Combs has insisted he’s innocent on all claims. In their opening statement, the defense admitted their client was a swinger, a drug user, a domestic abuser and not a very nice person — but he hasn’t been charged with any of that.

From ex-girlfriend “Jane’s” days of often harrowing examination from both the prosectors from the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Southern District and the 10-lawyer deep defense the past week, the panel of eight men and four women in the courtroom has heard explicit and sometimes heartrending testimony about rapes, emotional and physical violence, blackmail, and filmed drug-juiced “freak-offs.” Digging into the same sordid veins, other witnesses have included the likes of a heavily pregnant Cassie Ventura (another longtime Diddy’s ex-girlfriend) male escorts,  hotel security guards, law enforcement, and Combs’ ex-personal assistant “Mia.”

Judge Subramanian has promised the jurors that they will be done by the July 4 holiday, though that may prove difficult with the defense yet to start their case.