Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, had a tough day in court on Friday as he reportedly struggled to stay awake while on the witness stand in the trial over his former Malibu mansion.
Appearing during the second week of the trial in a Los Angeles courtroom, the rapper-producer-designer “repeatedly yawned, closed his eyes for long stretches and at times seemed to catch his head falling forward,” Rolling Stone‘s Nancy Dillon reported on Friday.
“I don’t recall,” the rapper answered when attorneys questioned him about the work done on the mansion, which was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who is renowned for his work incorporating architecture and landscape, and “gutted” by the rapper as he attempted to transform the architectural marvel into a disaster. Ye bought the estate for $57 million in 2021 and sold it at a massive loss, unloading the estate for $21 million in 2024.
Amid Ye’s seemingly sleepy performance on the stand, the lawyer representing the plaintiff reportedly turned away from the stand and mouthed, “Is he asleep?” — a moment that was noticed by the judge overseeing the trial. The judge noticed what was happening and then asked the attorney to “make things a little snappier,” referring to the questioning of the defendant.
The trial, one of several Ye is facing in the coming months, centers on the labor of contractor Tony Saxon, who is suing for unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions and wrongful termination. Saxon accuses the rapper of forcing him to live in the property as he tried to realize the rapper’s strange plans for the home, which he wanted to make self-sufficient and “off the grid.” As of now, the property has no windows, doors, electricity or plumbing.
The 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom mansion was stripped to a “concrete shell” during the failed renovation. Ye’s esoteric design demands included replacing a staircase with a slide. Saxon said in legal filings that, during the failed construction, he suffered an injury, was fired in retaliation after raising security concerns and that the rapper is on the hook for his medical bills.
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