Kanye West reportedly struggled to stay awake while on the witness stand in the trial concerning his former Malibu mansion, several US news outlets have reported.
The trial is one of several that West, who now goes by Ye, is set to face in the coming months. Tony Saxon, who is an ex-employee of the rapper-designer, took legal action against him in 2023, and claimed that he was owed $1million (£800,000) in unpaid wages and loss of earnings after working as a project manager, full-time security, and live-in caretaker at the mansion.
He alleged Ye had forced him to live in the property as he attempted to realise his strange plans for the home, which he intended to make self-sufficient and “off the grid”, per The Hollywood Reporter. As of the time of writing, the 4,000-square-foot mansion has no windows, doors, electricity or plumbing.
It was said to have been stripped to a “concrete shell” during the failed renovation, with one of Ye’s many design demands including replacing a staircase with a slide. In legal filings, Saxon said that during the failed construction, he suffered an injury and was fired after raising security concerns.
Ye was attending the second week of the trial in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday (March 6), where he was said to have “repeatedly yawned” throughout, and had “closed his eyes for long stretches and at times seemed to catch his head falling forward,” per Rolling Stone.
Ye, formerly Kanye West, leaving Malibu mansion trial after testimony today
He was on stand <3 hours, yawned repeatedly, answered many questions with his eyes closed, mostly said he couldn't recall interactions with plaintiff Tony Saxon
Signed sneakers for a fan on way out pic.twitter.com/8gE5z2UKc3
— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) March 6, 2026
“I don’t recall,” the rapper was said to have answered in monotone when attorneys questioned him about the work done on the mansion, which was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
Amid Ye’s sleepy stint 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, who then asked the attorney to “make things a little snappier”.
Late last month (February 24), West’s lawyers alleged that Saxon was working as an independent contractor, rather than an employee. They claimed that their evidence would prove that Saxon was an unlicensed contractor who “destroyed” the “architectural gem”.
Attorney Andrew Cherkasky argued that it was Saxon who wanted to keep the project “under the radar and low-key” so inspectors wouldn’t discover he was unlicensed and “shut down” the job.
Ye’s subdued testimony on Friday came a little more than a month after he shared a lengthy message in the Wall Street Journal to apologise to “those I’ve hurt”, before explaining his erratic and controversial behaviour in recent years.
He also apologised for his past antisemitic comments and said that he “lost touch with reality”. The rapper shared details of his bipolar type-1 diagnosis, as well as a “four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed [his] life”.
West has faced multiple complaints from former employees in recent years. He was sued for discrimination by an ex-Yeezy worker last year, and accused of texting “Hail Hitler” to a Jewish staff member. In 2023, he was accused in a lawsuit of allowing a bullying culture to permeate his Donda Academy.
Around the same time, he avoided battery charges in relation to an incident that saw him throw a woman’s mobile phone in the street.
In late 2022, members of staff at Yeezy, as well as Adidas workers, accused the star of using pornography and “mind games” to bully employees. Adidas later launched an investigation into the matter.
At the time, Ye did not respond to a request for comment from NME.
West claimed last month that his recent apology for his past anti-Semitic comments was not about his forthcoming new album, ‘Bully’, or an attempt to “revive” his career. He has since announced a one-off live show in the Netherlands, marking his first European headline date since 2014.
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