Kanye “Ye” West had a turbulent day on the witness stand Friday, repeatedly appearing to struggle to stay awake while testifying at trial about the disastrous renovation of his former Malibu mansion.
According rolling stonewho was present in the Los Angeles courtroom, the rapper “yawned repeatedly, closed his eyes for long periods and at times appeared to have his head fall forward” during his appearance in the second week of the trial.
The moment reached its peak when the attorney representing the plaintiff reportedly stepped away from the stand and mouthed, “Are you asleep?”
The presiding judge also seemed shocked and asked them to ask the lawyer to “make things a little more streamlined” with his questioning.
When asked about work done on the property, Ye’s repeated response was a simple “I don’t remember.”
The trial centers on a lawsuit filed by contractor Tony Saxon, who is suing Ye for unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions and wrongful termination.
Saxon claims he was forced to live at the property, a striking four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot estate in Malibu designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando, while Ye attempted to transform it according to a series of unusual demands.
Those plans included making the property completely self-sufficient and “off-grid,” and at one point replacing a staircase with a slide.
Saxon alleges he suffered an injury during the botched construction, was subsequently fired after raising safety concerns, and says Ye is responsible for his medical bills.
The results of the renovation speak for themselves.
The Ando-designed property, which Ye purchased for $57 million in 2021, was reduced to a bare “concrete shell,” with no windows, doors, electricity or plumbing.
He sold it at a staggering loss in 2024, parting with the property for $21 million. The Saxon case is one of several legal matters Ye will face in court in the coming months.
