Sean "Diddy" Combs Confirms He Won't Testify in Rare Message to Court
In a rare statement to the court June 24, Sean “Diddy” Combs confirmed he would not be testifying in his sex trafficking trial, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
By Sydney Kerr
Sean “Diddy” Combs is choosing not to testify in court.
During week seven of his sex trafficking trial, the rapper made a rare statement in court, telling Judge Arun Subramanian that he has chosen not to testify.
After the judge asked Combs to confirm that he would not be testifying, saying if he chose not to, "there will be no interference made."
And Combs verified that he would not be formally addressing the courtroom.
"We have discussed it thoroughly, that is my decision," Combs said of not testifying. "That is totally my decision, I am making it."
Prior to confirming he would not be testifying, Combs—who has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, prostitution, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, as well as transportation to engage in prostitution, also addressed another question from the judge: how he was feeling.
"I'm doing great, your honor," he told Subramanian. "I wanted to tell you thank you, you’re doing an excellent job."
While Combs will not be taking the stand, several figures have testified against the “I’ll Be Missing You” artist, including ex Cassie Ventura, Danity Kane alum Dawn Richard and rapper Kid Cudi, as well as many personal employees since the trial began in mid-May.
Sean Combs, P. Diddy
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Everything to Know About the Case Surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs
Ventura, a key witness who welcomed her and husband Alex Fine’s third baby just a few weeks after testifying, spent four days on the stand, detailing their decade-long on and off again relationship told the court, per NBC News, that the pair had “violent arguments” that “usually resulted in physical abuse,” and further spoke to her involvement in the “freak offs” led by Combs.
"Sean controlled a lot of my life," she testified, "whether it was career, sex, everything. And I didn't have much say, I was super young, I didn't know if he would be upset enough to be violent or not want to be with me at all."
Meanwhile, Kid Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) took the stand over a week after the “Me & U” singer, on May 22, alleging Combs broke into his home after learning about his and Ventura’s brief romance in 2011, which both Cudi and Ventura have said ended due to the threats against them. And Mescudi, who has not home during the break-in, detailed an ominous call he had Combs.
"He said, 'What's up?,'" the How to Make It in America alum testified, “and I said, 'Motherf--ker, are you in my house?' He said, 'I am here waiting for you.'"
Sean Diddy" Combs
Rebecca Sapp/WireImage
In her own subsequent testimony, the Bad Boy Records founder’s former assistant Capricorn Clark alleged that Combs wanted to kill Mescudi the night of the break-in.
“He just said, ‘Get dressed, we’re going to go kill Mescudi,’” Clark testified on May 27. “I said, ‘I don't want to go,’ and he said, ‘I don’t give a f--k what you want to do.’ He was livid, furious, mad at me. I had never seen anything like this before. I never saw him come to my house, I never saw him with a weapon.”
For more on Combs’ trial, keep reading.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Sean Diddy" Combs
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Defense Shares Estimation on Closing Arguments
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense attorney Teny Garagos told the judge that her team and the prosecution expect to take “at least four hours” each for their closing arguments.
With Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Joseph Cerciello completing his multi-day testimony as the prosecution’s witness June 24, the defense will begin their argument. Combs’ team shared that they will not be moving forward with any witnesses and will instead focus on entered evidence.
P Diddy, Sean Combs
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Juror Sees Apparent Footage From “Freak Offs”
During Ceriello’s testimony June 23, the jury was shown explicit videos—which, according to NBC News reporters in the courtroom, appeared to be from Combs’ “freak offs”—that were entered into evidence.
While the special agent noted there were 50 explicit videos from 2021 and 2022, jurors were shown two files using headphones and screens.
Sean Diddy" Combs
Dave Benett/Getty Images for TAO Group Hospitality
Hotel Rooms Were Stocked With Baby Oil, Plan-B Pills For “Freak Offs”
In voicemails to his former chief of staff Kristina Khorram played June 23, Combs detailed a specific list of requests while staying at a hotel in November 2021, including a restock on baby oil—which he regularly used during “freak offs.”
“Tell them to call me before they are on the way,” he said to Khorram. “Can’t believe I’m out. Put 20 bottles in this motherf--ker.”
Along with Khorram extending the hotel visit for an additional day, she replied, “OK. The baby oil is outside the door.”
In text messages, his former employee texted that she was preparing an IV drip for him and then-girlfriend—who is going by “Jane” for the trial—which he used as part of at least one “freak off” recovery, according to the group text messages.
She also made sure that there were Plan-B pills, an emergency contraceptive, in his nightstand.
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Cassie Ventura, Sean Diddy" Combs
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Cassie Ventura and Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Texts About His Alleged Abuse Revealed
Jurors were shown a series of text messages between Combs and Ventura, during which the “Long Way 2 Go” singer candidly detailed the toll his alleged abuse was taking on her.
After Combs asked whether Ventura, whom he dated on and off from 2007 to 2018, wanted to take a break in March 2017, she replied, “No. I just don't want to be beat down for being defiant or ever. You treat me and make me feel like I don't matter."
In another instance, she further accused her ex of physically assaulting her.
“I give you love, and as soon as I turn my head for a second and you get fucked up, you drag me down the hall by my hair. I'm 30 years old,” Ventura wrote to him that May. “This isn't play anymore. I felt like I was dead last night and it wasn't happening to me bc seeing my light was so beautiful."
Brendan Paul, Sean Diddy" Combs
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Former Assistant Denies Being Drug Mule But Says He Bought Thousands of Dollars in Drugs for the Rapper
Combs’ former assistant Brendan Paul—whom he employed from 2022 to 2024—testified that he had purchased drugs for his boss on multiple occasions, including “Marijuana, 2C, cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy.”
“We would text the drug dealer and then the drug dealer would come to either of the homes,” Paul—who also recalled being fired multiple times for varying offenses, including forgetting a Lululemon fanny pack—said of the process. “I was introduced to them either through texts or phone calls.”
However, Paul vehemently denied being a “drug mule” for the rap mogul.
Jury Box, Sean Diddy" Combs, Courtroom
Jefferson Siegel-Pool/Getty Images
Judge Cancels Court on Day 26 of Sean “Diddy” Combs Trial Over Sick Juror
Presiding Judge Arun Subramanian adjourned the courtroom for the day on June 18 after a member of the main jury did not return due to illness. (Court is not in session on June 19 for Juneteenth.)
“We have a sick juror who cannot be here and had vertigo and had to turn back,” the judge said. “The juror's partner notified us. He is not here, and he is on the regular jury, so it appears we cannot go on today.”
The judge noted that it’s unclear whether the juror’s vertigo flare-up—which causes dizziness, nausea, and headaches, along with other symptoms—is temporary or a long-term issue, but would “monitor the situation.”
With court not in session June 19 for Juneteenth, Judge Subramanian said the trial would resume with a shortened session on June 20, running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sean Diddy Combs similar courtoom
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Second Sean “Diddy” Combs Jury Member Faces Possible Dismissal
Shortly after Judge Subramanian dismissed Juror No. 6 over conflicting answers as to his place of residence, a second member faces possible dismissal over an alleged improper conversation about the case with a former colleague. The member in question was questioned by the judge and handed his phone in for inspection, per NBC News.
A decision had not been made as to the member’s dismissal by the end of the court session on June 16.
Kanye West
Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company
Kanye West Supports Sean “Diddy” Combs With Courthouse Visit
Kanye West arrived at the New York City courthouse June 13 in support of Combs. The “Stronger” rapper, who was in the building for about 30 minutes, made a brief visit to the overflow area but never entered the courtroom. The main room is reserved for Combs’ family and legal team, as well as the media and spectators who wait in line for hours for a seat.
Sean Diddy" Combs
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Mogul Was Upset After She Attended Another Man’s “Freak Off”
Jane recalled an argument between them after she went on a trip to Las Vegas with another rapper and his wife.
She testified that it led to sexual voyeurism after she solicited Anton, a sex worker whom she and Combs often hired, where a group of people watched him have sex with a woman in a hotel room during the trip.
Jane told Combs’ attorney Geragos that the rap mogul was upset after accusing her of attending another man’s “freak off.”
Jury Box, Sean Combs trial
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Prosecutors Seek Removal of Juror in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Trial
On day 21 of Combs' trial, assistant U.S. attorney Maurene Comey shared her team is seeking to remove one of the 12 members of the jury.
“We were very reluctant to put in this letter,” she told Judge Subramanian before the jury entered the New York City courtroom. “It appeared to be a lack of candor with the court that raises serious issues with us.”
Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro—who said that Juror No. 6 is among the panel’s Black members—asked for one or two days to “respond in writing” and “go over case law.”
In response, Judge Subramanian said he will “reserve on handling logistics” about the juror until a decision is made.
Sean Diddy" Combs
Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Sean Diddy Combs
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Has Heated Exchange With Defense Team During Cross-Examination
Jane and Garagos had a tense conversation June 10 as the latter insinuated the witness was having sex with men for luxury goods.
Geragos went through text messages from November 2021 between Jane and Combs, in which the witness was upset that the rap mogul was having sex with other women. Per the texts, she asked Combs if he gave the other woman “a Chanel bag” after having sex.
Jane said that she didn’t get a Chanel purse from Combs, telling Garagos that she “got trauma.”
When the attorney asked what a Bottega bag was, she replied, “I’m sure you have one.”
And when Geragos asked how much the item costs, Jane asked, “How much does my body cost?”
Jane was granted a 10-minute break following the exchange.
Sean Diddy" Combs
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says She Wondered What Was “Driving Him” Sexually
Jane testified that around 2022, she believed that Combs was a “cuckhold,” a person who finds pleasure in watching their partner be physically intimate with another person, after looking up her and Combs’ sexual dynamic.
“It gave me more of an understanding,” she said of her reasoning for the research. “I was just trying to deep dive on all the reasons why they had derived so much pleasure from watching their woman be with other men.”
The witness theorized that Combs’ desire for “hotel nights,” the details of which are nearly identical to Ventura's “freak offs,” was because he may be curious about his own sexuality.
“Cucks could also have a real curiosity that they're too ashamed to experience themselves,” she testified, “and so they use the woman to venture out in this curiosity without actually doing the act itself.”
Sean Diddy" Combs
Dave Benett/Getty Images for TAO Group Hospitality
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Mentions Koby Bryant, Shaquille O’Neil and Michael Jordan During Testimony
Jane testified that she had nicknamed Paul—an escort she and Combs solicited on multiple occasions—“Trifecta” because she compared their sexual dynamic to the on-court success of basketball stars.
“I was Kobe Bryant and Paul was Shaq [O’Neil],” she told jurors. “Combs was Michael Jordan.”
She described Paul as “really nice,” noting that if she “had to” have sex with escorts, “at least it was with someone with a warm energy.”
Sean Diddy" Combs
Shane Gritzinger/FilmMagic
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Mogul’s Chief of Staff “Influenced a Great Deal” of Their Romance
Jane testified that Combs’ dynamic with Khorram was a “point of contention” in the witness’ romance with the rap mogul.
“She was always with him,” Jane said of Khorram. “It was difficult for our relationship. I believe that she had very strong feelings about me, which influenced a great deal with how Sean treated me.”
Sean Diddy" Combs
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Judge Denies Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Defense Team’s Second Motion for a Mistrial
On June 10, Judge Subramanian denied a motion for mistrial by Combs' legal team, in which his attorneys argued that Ventura and her friend Bryana Bongolan lied about the latter being dangled over the 17th-floor balcony by the rap mogul.
His lawyers, whose previous motion for a mistrial was also denied, accused the prosecution in the filing of “misconduct” with the “introduction of perjured testimony.”
“In this trial the government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr. Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura’s apartment in September 2016,” the letter said. “Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case the Court should grant a mistrial.”
Sean Diddy" Combs
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Details Hourslong 2024 Beating
Jane alleged that the rap mogul had beaten her for hours June 2024.
Jane testified that she and Combs began arguing about the latter seeing a woman who was 25 years his junior, which Jane said led to her calling him a “pedophile” and pushing his head into a marble kitchen counter.
The witness said she had hidden in the primary bedroom and Combs began kicking the door open. (Photos of the cracked door were entered into evidence.) She alleged that while trying to run away, the Bad Boy Records founder kicked her in the back of the thigh, which made her fall.
“He put me in a chokehold on the ground, lifted me up, and I couldn't breathe, and I was on my tippy toes,” she told the prosecution. “I was just trying to get out of his grip.”
Jane said she ran out of the house and hid behind a wall outside for approximately two hours, hoping he would leave, but he did not. She said they subsequently returned to his home, where she curled up in the backyard to protect herself as Combs allegedly attacked her.
Sean Diddy" Combs
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Attack By Rapper Left Her “Golfball-sized” Welts
According to Jane, the altercation escalated after Combs allegedly punched her back. “He started punching my head,” she told the court. “He started kicking me. He started saying all kinds of things and just kept punching.”
She alleged that he told her that she was “trying to take him away from his kids and his family.”
“I said, ‘No, I'm not. Just leave me alone. Just leave. Please stop,’” she testified. “Then he just grabs me by my arm and my hair and just starts dragging me back to the house … by my hair, by my arm.”
After the alleged assault, Jane said she saw “two golfball-sized welts” on her forehead, as well as a black eye.
Sean Diddy" Combs
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Details Homeland Security Raid at Her Home
Jane said that Homeland Security Investigated raided her home, which was paid for by Combs in March 2023, along with multiple other residences owned by the mogul. She said that agents came to her house and she called Combs’ head of security to tell him about the situation.
Sean Diddy" Combs
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says He Threatened To Release Sex Tapes
Jane alleged that the mogul threatened to release their sex tapes and show them to her baby’s father in December 2023.
As Jane and Combs' relationship deteriorated, she said he told her that he had “nothing to lose” by releasing the videos. She testified, “It was just back-to-back pressure phone calls.”
She texted Khorram about the interaction, which was entered into evidence. In the texts, Jane wrote that Combs was threatening to post the footage, in which she said she was “heavily drugged.”
She also wrote that she needed “time away from” Combs because she was trying to work through “all the trauma” he caused.
Jane told the court that Khorram assured her that Combs would not use the footage
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