Ye was not happy about participating in a deposition for a tech lawsuit against him and made the experience as uncomfortable as possible for the attorneys involved.
In exclusive footage TMZ obtained Wednesday, December 18, you can see Ye avoid eye contact and cover half his face with a hat. The deposition for the lawsuit, which is MyChannel vs. Kanye West & Yeezy Appeal, happened in 2021 and was released as part of an upcoming A&E show called "Interrogation Raw: Celebrity Under Oath." From the second he was sworn in, Ye showed all the telltale signs that he did not want to be there.
Ye seemed distracted by something off-screen at the beginning of the deposition. Attorney Michael Popok called out the distraction and asked if Ye was on his phone. Once the musician admitted he was, Popek asked him to put the device away and be present for the examination.
"Due to my mental geniusness, in order to focus on this bullshit I need to be on a phone," Ye replied.
The rapper and producer eventually agreed to get off the phone and even took off his hat. However, he immediately put on an entire face covering and wore it for the remainder of the deposition. When asked about the mask, Ye said the attorneys "don't have the right to see my face." In another clip, Popok asked Ye where he was doing the deposition. Ye responded by saying, "I'm not gon' tell you. You ain't ever going to see me again."
Popok continued to ask questions about where Ye was, who was with him, and what else was in the room where he's at besides the phone. Ye got defensive again and indicated that he has a chair in the room before he yelled at the attorneys again.
"You're talking to the richest Black man in America," he shouted.
The lawsuit was filed against Ye by the founders of the tech start-up MyChannel in 2020. The founders alleged Ye backed out of his $10 million investment after the company spent over 10,000 hours developing a program. They also claimed Ye stole their technology to sell merch for his Sunday Service shows. The company sued Ye for $20 million and requested a jury trial. Fortunately, Ye and MyChannel ended up settling their legal issues.
A&E's "Interrogation Raw: Celebrity Under Oath" debuts on December 26. Catch both clips above.