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Barack Obama's name is finding its way into the Diddy trial ... because Diddy's former personal assistant says his boss used to take ecstasy pills shaped like Obama's mug.

David James, who worked for Bad Boy from 2007 to 2009, testified for the prosecution Tuesday and told the jury he saw Diddy with a bunch of different pills, including one with a very specific feature.

James said one of the pills was ecstasy in the shape of a former president's face ... and when prosecutor Christy Slavik asked him straight up, "Which former president?," James responded, "Barack Obama."

David James, a former personal assistant to Diddy, says his boss once gave him some ironic advice ... warning him not to get violent with women.

During cross-examination from Diddy defense attorney Marc Agnifilo, James admitted he got into a physical altercation with one of Diddy's former chefs, a woman named Jourdan Atkinson.

James told the jury he got upset with Chef Jourdan at Diddy's home on Star Island in Miami after she tried to tell James how to do his job, offering a suggestion on where to take Diddy. He said he grabbed her by the wrists and told her to "stay in her f****** lane."

David James, a former personal assistant to Diddy, is continuing his testimony in the disgraced rap mogul's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC Tuesday, and he told the jury about a harrowing incident in L.A. involving another titan of the music industry.

James was asked about a 2008 incident at a Mel's Diner, a restaurant in L.A., involving former rap mogul Suge Knight (who's currently in prison for an unrelated crime). James described driving a Lincoln Navigator SUV to get cheeseburgers, accompanied by a man named D-Roc.

James testified D-Roc recognized Suge Knight at the location, and went over to talk ... but Knight apparently didn't recognize D-Roc, who said "I'm Biggie's boy," referring to slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. (who was murdered in the city in 1997).

The alleged sex worker known as Ash Armand, who was allegedly involved in Diddy's "freak-offs," looks a bit worse for wear in his latest prison mug shot after he was convicted of manslaughter in the murder of his girlfriend years ago.

TMZ exclusively obtained the booking photo in 2021 ... Armand -- who also starred in the reality show  "Gigolos" -- has packed on a few extra pounds behind bars and appears disheveled with messy hair.

His days being a hot gigolo seem to be behind him ... no longer will we see him walking red carpets for Showtime’s "Gigolos," which follows the day-to-day lives of five male escorts based in Las Vegas.

Today is the seventh day of testimony in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York City ... David James, a former personal assistant to the rap mogul, is still on the witness stand -- and he testified to what he described as "Diddy-bopping" ... which he described as taking drugs and drinking Ciroc vodka, Diddy's own brand.

Minutes into the proceeding, David James was asked by the prosecution if he'd ever taken Ecstasy. James replied ... "Yes. I was drinking Ciroc, I took Ecstasy, I was 'Diddy-bopping.'" He then clarifies -- "I was vibing."

James testified he was recorded by a videographer who filmed the parties. James said Diddy asked him ... "Hey Playboy, was that you dancing around at the party?" When James said it was, he testifies Diddy said he was going to keep the video in case he ever needed it ... the prosecutor asked him what that meant -- James said "That I'd be embarrassed."

James was asked by the prosecution if he had ever observed physical violence between Diddy and his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura ... James said he had not.

Cher is using her starpower for the good of Los Angeles' beloved zoo elephants Tina and Billy again ... signing a letter sent to Mayor Karen Bass to demand the beloved creatures be transferred from the L.A. Zoo to a sanctuary -- and not to the Tulsa, Oklahoma zoo as planned.

Cher appears on the list signed by several celebs -- such as Alicia Silverstone, Diane Warren, Katherine Heigl, Nicola Peltz Beckham and Justin Theroux -- that was delivered to L.A.'s mayor Monday to advocate for the health and well-being of the zoo's longtime resident elephants.

The letter argues the arranged transfer of Billy and Tina to Tulsa to join five other Asian elephants will only worsen their suffering, and that they deserve to be released to a proper elephant sanctuary so they can "live their twilight years with liberty and dignity."

A Hollywood actor -- who scored roles in 'NYPD Blue' and 'CSI Miami' -- believes his daughter did not commit suicide and died under suspicious circumstances ... and now he's suing her estranged boyfriend for wrongful death.

Dwayne Adway filed his lawsuit Monday in L.A. County Superior Court against Makar Kirikov, accusing him of being involved in the death of his daughter, Daelena Mackay.

In the suit, Adway says Daelena and Kirikov lived together for about a year in an L.A. apartment and, during that time, Daelena "experienced multiple incidents of domestic violence" at the hands of Kirikov.

5/22/25 6:20 PM PT -- In an earlier version of this story -- and others on TMZ.com -- we incorrectly identified one of the photos of the alleged sex workers as "Jules." The man prosecutors labeled "Exhibit 2A-628" is not Jules, the man Cassie testified was with Diddy and her at the L.A. Intercontinental Hotel in March 2016.

While the government says the man displayed in court as "Exhibit 2A-628" was an "escort" hired to hook up with Cassie and Diddy, he is NOT the one who was with them at the Intercontinental.

He is a former star of the Showtime series, "Gigolos," named Vin Armani, and he tells us ... "I have proof that I could not possibly have been in Los Angeles on the day this Jules person (someone who is absolutely and categorically not me) supposedly was. Had any lawyer or authority ever contacted me, it would have been immediately obvious to them that any claim that I was present at the incident in question is completely false."

Further, Vin denies any insinuation he was a "sex worker," instead he says ... "I was the star of a TV show for 6 seasons and, during that time, was a fixture in the nightlife of Las Vegas. I was a celebrity and, as a result, hung out with literally hundreds of celebrities on a regular basis. I have never had an interaction with Diddy and/or Cassie that included (or where I witnessed) violence, illegal drugs, contracting for sexual services/acts (prostitution), or the transportation of any person from anywhere to anywhere whatsoever. So, just as with the hundreds of interactions I have had with celebrities (and the thousands of interactions I have had with other people in my life), I have no knowledge of any interaction that would be pertinent in any way to a criminal case of any kind. Had any attorney or authority ever contacted me, this fact would have been plain for them to see."

Diddy's alleged sex workers have finally been unmasked as Week 2 of testimony gets underway in the music mogul's federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial in NYC.

On Monday, prosecutors released a document dump of exhibits entered into trial evidence, dropping an avalanche of photos and other information. Some of the pics showed the faces of the sex workers Diddy allegedly hired to be transported across state lines for "freak-offs" with his significant others, including Cassie.

The feds define a freak-off as Diddy, a girlfriend and a male sex worker engaging in marathon sex sessions that were often recorded by the Bad Boy Records CEO inside hotel rooms. Prosecutors say Diddy forced or coerced his girlfriends into participating in the freak-offs.

Megan Thee Stallion is fighting back at Tory Lanez fans who still don't believe he shot her, despite what a jury in Los Angeles ruled ... and she's got some choice words for him too.

Megan unloaded on Tory in a social media rant Monday, posting on TikTok ... "At what point are yall gonna stop making me have to re live being shot BY TORY !? At what point are Tory and yall FANS gonna stop lying ? Like how much is the check to keep harassing me? Why is this happening EVERY DAY?"

MTS continued ... "One min him/ yall said I was never shot now yall letting him play in yall face AGAIN and say I was shot but it wasn't him oh okay... ?! I'm sick of this s*** LEAVE ME TF ALONE!!!!"

Megan added ... "HE AINT DARE GET ON THAT STAND AND DENY HE SHOT ME AND THAT WAS HIS CHOICE BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE DID THAT S***! IDGAF ABT A BLOG OR A BOT!!! WHY IN TF WOULD ME ... MEGAN THEE STALLION HAVE TO LIE ON THIS MF ABT SHOOTING ME!"

As we reported ... Tory was convicted of negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm back in 2022 after prosecutors accused him of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Lanez has denied shooting Megan and here she says ... "FACTS ARE FACTS, he did it, it was PROVEN IN COURT f*** the hate campaign on the internet TORY YOU SHOT ME !! Ain't no new f****** evidence yall been saying the same s*** for years."

Tory's case has been back in the spotlight after his recent prison stabbing ... with his lawyers claiming Megan's ex-BFF Kelsey Harris was the real shooter.

The sixth day of witness testimony in the Diddy trial is in the books and while there was some more interesting tidbits from celebs, friends and staffers ... it feels like prosecutors are all over the map.

Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard was first on the stand Monday and her testimony seemed to be geared toward one of the main charges against Diddy ... racketeering.

Dawn testified Diddy made threats about having people killed if they didn't listen to him ... and she also told the jury she saw Diddy with guns and drugs, though the defense got her to admit she never saw Diddy use a gun or pay for the substances.

Harvey Weinstein says he's an innocent man wrongly convicted of rape and other sex crimes -- and he's going after three of his celebrity accusers, including Gwyneth Paltrow, in a new interview.

The disgraced Hollywood film producer sat for his first on-camera discussion with conservative podcaster Candace Owens since his arrest 7 years ago. And Weinstein doesn't pull any punches, slamming not only Gwyneth, but also Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan.

Owens released a one-minute 20-second clip of the interview that will air in full on Club Candace Tuesday. The clip kicks off with Weinstein appearing in a suit on a monitor talking on a phone from jail with Candace who is seated in her broadcast booth.

One of Diddy's former assistants recalled a couple conversations he says he had with Cassie ... including one when he says Cassie told him why she couldn't leave Diddy.

David James took the stand Monday in Diddy's federal trial and testified for the prosecution ... telling the jury he had been with Cassie in Miami early on in her relationship with Diddy.

David says he worked for Diddy from 2007 and 2009 and testified he first met Cassie on Star Island in Miami, where Diddy had rented a yacht to impress her.

Federal agents testified they found drugs, baby oil, lubricant and cash stashed in Diddy's New York City hotel room after his September 2024 arrest ... they took photos as evidence, and now we're seeing what they say they found.

Dozens of photos from inside Diddy's hotel room at the Park Hyatt Hotel in NYC have now been entered as exhibits in the case ... and we've compiled some of the most interesting images for you to peruse.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say they recovered two clear plastic Ziploc bags in an orange prescription bottle ... and inside the baggies were pink solid material. The feds say one bag tested positive for ketamine and the other tested positive for MDMA and ketamine.

Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial is chugging along and Cassie took the stand last week for four days of intense testimony ... where she told the jury Diddy physically abused her during their relationship.

Photos of the injuries Cassie says she sustained at Diddy's hand have now been entered as exhibits in the case ... and we've collected some of the most compelling photos for you to see.

In one image, it looks like Cassie snapped a selfie of her swollen and busted lip ... and she's wearing a hoodie and hiding her eyes behind a big pair of sunglasses.

Another photo shows a deep gash over Cassie's left eyebrow ... there's a good amount of blood and open flesh ... and it appears there's some swelling and bruising too.

Lisa Bloom says testimony from Cassie Ventura and Dawn Richard is essential to the prosecution's criminal case against Diddy ... but she says the feds are far from finished, and they've got plenty of time to close any loops the defense finds.

The famed attorney, who is also representing Dawn in a civil suit against Diddy, joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday and explained how Dawn's testimony is geared towards the RICO charges against Diddy.

Lisa says the fact Dawn told the jury she saw Diddy with guns and drugs is super important ... even though Diddy defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland got Dawn to admit she never saw Diddy use a gun or pay for drugs.

Post Malone has called BS on his baby mama, who wants an L.A. County judge to hear their custody case, claiming the matter properly belongs in Utah, where he's raising the child.

Post had filed for custody in Utah, claiming that's where the 3-year-old daughter was raised.

The mother, Jamie Park, filed similar legal docs in Los Angeles 4 days later, asking for sole physical custody with visitation going to Post.