Diddy Trial

Diddy's criticisms of Cassie go way back -- long before the infamous hotel beating -- as evidenced in this clip, where he boldly tells fans the singer had fallen way below expectations ... all while she awkwardly sat next to him.

The rap mogul made the video in 2006 -- shortly after Cassie bombed at BET's "106 & Park" performance -- and it shows the two celebs sitting with each other as Diddy admits she had a "whack show."

Despite that, he says, Cassie's going to keep striving to improve in the live arena ... besides, her song "Me & You" was still one of the hottest going in the clubs, he pointed out.

As the 15th day of testimony got underway in Diddy's federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial in NYC, the prosecution called Eddy Garcia to the stand ... he was the security supervisor at the InterContinental in Century City, Los Angeles -- the site of the infamous Cassie beating video.

Garcia is asked about a specific day during the week of March 10, 2016, saying he was told there was an incident involving Diddy ... he's asked about monitoring security video feeds, and he said upon closer inspection, he says he did recognize the music mogul on screen, and he said he later learned the other person involved was Cassie Ventura.

Garcia testified law enforcement was not called because Cassie did not request it. He said he received a phone call from Kristina Khorram, from a New York area code. Khorram was Diddy's chief of staff for Combs Enterprises at the time. He says she asked about the video ... and he says she claimed Diddy had been intoxicated at the time the video was recorded, and didn't remember the event. That drew an objection from defense attorney Brian Steel, which the judge sustained.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC resumed Tuesday morning with the 15th day of testimony ... but before the jury was even seated, a woman caused a scene in the courtroom and was quickly ejected.

As proceedings began, Judge Arun Subramanian discussed with the prosecution and defense teams a compilation video exhibit expected to be introduced later Tuesday. There was a question about an expert's testimony ... and the defense questioned certain edits of the video, claiming they distorted the actual events. The prosecution noted time stamps on security videos are routinely inaccurate.

As they discussed a video played by the defense yesterday featuring "Mia" -- a former Diddy employee testifying under a pseudonym -- of her birthday, the prosecution says they intended to introduce a recording of Diddy's phone calls from jail in which he organized "social media celebrations" of his own birthday.

Diddy once saved his former assistant from R. Kelly ... or, at least the version of her boss she dreamed up did, she revealed on Day 14 of testimony.

"Mia" -- Diddy's former assistant who used the pseudonym while testifying -- was back on the stand Monday ... and, she name-dropped quite a few celebs during her time on the stand.

The most shocking had to be R. Kelly, who made an appearance in a dream she had ... one where she was trapped in an elevator with Kelly and Diddy had to step in to save her.

Bill Maher is ignorant about what abuse victims face, and his recent Cassie commentary makes him look foolish ... so says a prominent forensic psychologist.

We spoke with Dr. Leslie Dobson -- a mental health expert and influencer -- on "TMZ Live" Monday ... and, we asked her about Bill calling out Cassie over the weekend for not leaving Diddy, despite the alleged abuse she faced, because he thinks she wanted stardom.

Dr. Dobson came out firing at the talk show host ... saying Bill doesn't understand the manipulations Cassie had to deal with -- like allegedly agreeing to let a male escort urinate in her mouth to keep her mogul boyfriend happy.

Diddy's former assistant "Mia" says she loves Cassie like a sister, but she didn't tell her about the mogul's alleged abuse because she says Diddy closely monitored their communications ... and he'd even put tracking devices on Cassie's car.

Mia took the stand for a third day of testimony Monday ... and, Diddy's defense attorney Brian Steel asked her why she wouldn't tell Cassie about Diddy allegedly raping her.

She responded by claiming Diddy could find out what she told Cassie ... saying he routinely took her and Cassie's phones -- presumably to search through them. He would even go so far as to put tracking devices on Cassie's car, with Mia telling the court ... "I’m not sure what he’s capable of. I was terrified.”

"Mia," a former assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs who went on to work in development for one of his media companies, is continuing her testimony under a pseudonym for the third day. It's the fourth week of testimony in the case.

Mia is being cross-examined by defense attorney Brian Steel. Mia was asked about her time as an assistant to Diddy, and overseeing the possession of staff passports, which she confirms. This appears to be related to an episode Mia testified to last week, in which she says she left Diddy's yacht during a trip to St. Barts in the Caribbean under duress, but then returned to the boat, where her passport was held.

She confirmed she was finished working with Diddy by March 2017 ... she's then asked about a Christmas message she'd sent to Diddy in 2018, which reads, "Merry Christmas, I love you!" She says she'd just seen Diddy at the funeral for Kim Porter -- the mother of Diddy's children.

Jamie Foxx has been keeping his distance from Diddy -- but he threw the door wide open with some icy shade and razor-sharp words, leaving no doubt where he stands.

Taking the mic at a Comedy Store special, Jamie straight-up branded the embattled rapper, now tangled in a federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC, a "nasty motherf***er."

Jamie explained in the Thursday night vid obtained by Urban Hollywood that Diddy’s fall from grace hits especially hard for the Black community -- joking white folks might still think it’s all cool, but for them, he used to be their hero.

6/2/2025 4:30 PM PT -- Michelle Caiola, attorney for Crystal McKinney, tells TMZ ... "MeToo exposed rich and powerful men in the entertainment industry who target and sexually abuse young women seeking a break. Crystal McKinney, a top model at a young age, fell victim to such predation -- twice. The facts stand on their own and our client looks forward to her day in court when she can present her evidence to a jury."

Sean "Diddy" Combs and Harvey Weinstein have more than one thing in common ... they’re being sued for alleged sexual assault by the same model.

Not only are Diddy and Weinstein currently on trial for sex crimes in unrelated trials, but Crystal McKinney has filed lawsuits against them in a New York federal court.

In her latest suit, filed Friday, McKinney -- through her attorney Michelle Caiola -- accuses Weinstein of raping her and a friend in a Manhattan hotel room in 2003.

Cassie will not go down as the only pregnant woman involved in the Diddy criminal trial ... because one of Diddy's defense attorneys is expecting!!!

Yes, there was a pregnancy announcement on the latest episode of the "2 Angry Men" podcast ... with Harvey Levin getting famed defense attorney Mark Geragos to reveal his daughter, Teny Geragos, is pregnant with her second child.

Teny is one of the lead attorneys defending Diddy in his criminal case in New York ... and she's been cross-examining witnesses and defending her client all while 4 months pregnant!!!

Cassie Ventura and Alex Fine found each other after she and Diddy parted ways ... and, while her texts show she still harbored some feelings for the rap mogul post-split, she's built a new life with her better half.

Ventura and Fine began their relationship in 2018, and they married the following year. They already had two kids together when Cassie took the stand against Diddy in his federal trial -- while she was pregnant with her third. She gave birth just a couple weeks after testifying.

Despite linking up with Alex after she and Diddy split, texts entered as evidence during the trial show she was still hitting up the rap mogul early on in their relationship.

Diddy's defense team may just play Bill Maher's closing argument to the jury ... because the way he sees it, Cassie had an option to leave but she decided to stick around.

The 'Real Time' host was blunt ... he says women now have options they never had before. Abusers are now going to prison, cops are listening to them, and they are emboldened. As Maher puts it, the solution is simple ... "If you're being abused, you've got to leave right away."

He acknowledges Diddy's a bad guy who should be behind bars, but not necessarily for his relationship with Cassie. Bill ticks off various texts from Cassie to Diddy in which she talks about being down for freak offs, calling it "enthusiastic consent."

And then Bill goes deep into defense territory, saying Cassie was getting something out of her relationship with Diddy so it was her choice to stay ... "If you want a #1 album on the charts so bad, you'll take a #1 to the face, and some of that's on you."

Ray J is railing against the racketeering conspiracy charge Diddy is facing in his federal criminal trial ... he says a RICO charge against the Kardashians would be more believable.

Diddy's longtime friend came to his defense on TMZ's new weekly series on Tubi, "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial" ... and Ray says he's having a hard time believing Diddy is guilty of racketeering.

Ray J says he spent a lot of time around Diddy and a lot of the witnesses who are testifying ... and based on his experience, he doesn't see how the RICO charge is warranted.

Diddy's prison outfit is going up for auction ... no, not one he's worn since being locked up in jail last fall, but the one he wore on set 25 years ago!

The rapper's iconic costume from his role as Lawrence Musgrove in the 2001 romantic-thriller drama "Monster's Ball" is going up for sale. It features a gray hoodie, jeans -- with one pant leg cut off -- and black shoes.

Diddy wears this outfit during the early parts of the film before his character is executed ... and, it's expected to fetch a decent price at auction when bidding starts on June 7.

Another week is in the books for the Diddy criminal trial, and it took only 13 days of witness testimony for President Trump to insert himself into the proceedings.

The biggest news from Friday's Diddy federal trial happened far from the Manhattan courtroom where he's being tried ... at the White House, Trump was asked about a potential pardon for Diddy if the music mogul gets convicted.

Trump left open the possibility of clemency ... telling reporters he would have to look at the case and the facts and determine if he thought Diddy was treated unfairly ... though it feels a bit premature at this point to be talking pardons.

President Trump is weighing in on the Diddy federal criminal trial ... saying he would look into the case and consider a potential pardon if the jury returns a guilty verdict.

Trump just doled out a bunch of pardons and commutations this week to a slew of celebs ... and he was asked Friday if he would ever consider pardoning Diddy.

POTUS says he hasn't been following the Diddy trial all that closely and he would have to "look at what's happening" and "look at the facts."