Kanye West has been accused of sexually assaulting his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, during a studio session in which disgraced rapper-turned-label exec Diddy was also present.
Pisciotta, who worked from West between 2021 and 2022, alleges that the assault took place on an unspecified date years prior, while she was at a gathering at a Santa Monica recording studio. She claims she was served a beverage laced with an unidentified drug, which caused her to feel disoriented and lose memory of the evening. According to the lawsuit, which was filed on October 8 in Los Angeles court, attendees of the studio session – which was co-hosted by Combs – were told by West that they had to drink or they would be forced to leave.
The suit also claims that West – who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021 – admitted years later to Pisciotta that they did “kind of hook up” that evening. When Pisciotta responded that she did not have any memory of it, West is alleged to have acted dismissively and said, “Women love to say they don’t remember.”
Pisciotta also accuses West of failing to pay her “$4-million-dollar” salary, harassing her for sexual intercourse, and locking her in a bedroom while he masturbated. The suit also claims that he “thrust his naked body” and “penis” into Pisciotta’s face, ignoring her “pleas to stop”. Pisciotta has reportedly accused West of leaving her with anxiety and PTSD. “She could not stomach the fact that she worked for the man who had sexually assaulted her against her will while she was drugged, who then successfully lured her back into his orbit by way of a job opportunity to sexually assault her all over again,” reads the suit.
The suit also accuses West of trafficking women into the US for sex using his connections to brands such as Adidas and Gap, giving them obscure job titles and then offering up to colleagues and friends as “gifts”. West denies all allegations.
While Pisciotta’s suit does not accuse Diddy of any wrongdoing, these reports arrive in the wake of a spate of serious allegations against the Bad Boy Records executive. Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, has been accused by over 120 people of sexual abuse, though he denies all the allegations against him.
These accusations have emerged just months after footage surfaced of Combs chasing and assaulting ex-partner and singer Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in 2019, before attempting to drag her back into his hotel room.
Combs was arrested last month (September 2024) and currently awaits trial.