Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a mountain of serious charges in a federal courtroom, with his sex trafficking trial already pulling some of the biggest names in entertainment into the spotlight.
The Bad Boy Records founder has pleaded not guilty to a slate of offenses, including racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors allege that the 55-year-old operated a decades-long criminal enterprise built on violence, manipulation, and sexual exploitation.
At the heart of the case are so-called “freak offs,” which were "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," according to a September 2024 indictment.
While the trial is still in its early stages, it has already revealed a growing list of celebrity names linked to the events being discussed.
Variety reports that as many as 190 famous individuals may be referenced over the course of the proceedings.
The rapper, whose full name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, was among the first to be named.
Ventura testified that after Combs discovered her 2011 relationship with Mescudi, he “lunged at her” with a wine opener and later threatened to blow up Cudi’s car, Sky News reported.
In January 2012, Cudi’s Porsche was set on fire with an “incendiary device.” A representative for the artist confirmed to The New York Times: “This is all true.” No charges were filed against Combs in connection with the car explosion.
Michael B. JordanMichael B. Jordan, who also reportedly dated Ventura, was named in trial coverage, though he is not expected to testify.
Kim PorterPorter, who was Combs’ ex and mother to three of his children, was referenced in Ventura’s testimony.
She claimed their relationship was kept secret for years because Combs didn’t want to “look bad," adding: "We were spending a lot of time together one on one - it was not public for many years. He just didn’t want it to look bad, but also knew it was because of his children and personal things like his family."
West's name appeared on the court docket as a potential reference. Earlier this year, the 47-year-old released a song with Combs and later shared a phone call in which Combs warned him to “be careful” of those trying to “end” him.
Suge KnightSuge Knight, the former Death Row Records head, was brought up during Ventura’s testimony.
She recounted an incident where Combs dressed in black, grabbed weapons, and set out to confront Knight at a diner. “I was screaming and crying: ‘Please don’t do anything stupid,’” she recalled, per Complex.
The rappers were mentioned in connection with a 2013 incident. Ventura said Combs attacked her the night before she was to attend OVO Festival in Toronto.
“Sean came in. I was asleep. He was trying to attack me,” she said. “I cut my eyebrow on the corner of the bed. Sean threw me onto the bed frame.” She covered her injury with her hair the next day and attended the festival with French Montana.
Dawn RichardThe former Danity Kane singer filed a separate lawsuit against Combs in 2024, accusing him of sexual assault and verbal abuse.
She also claimed to have witnessed him abusing Ventura. Combs denied the allegations, calling them “false".
Ike and Tina Turner were invoked in a 2017 text message shown in court. “Nothing good comes out of [freak offs] anymore. You treat me like Ike Turner,” Ventura wrote to Combs, per PEOPLE.
PrinceThe late singer was also pulled into the trial through Ventura’s account of attending a private concert at his home. She claimed Combs appeared unexpectedly and later assaulted her in a hotel room, throwing luggage and yelling insults.
As disturbing as the celebrity connections are, the core of the trial remains Ventura’s harrowing testimony.
The 'Me & U' musician told jurors that Combs subjected her to years of abuse, physically attacking her, coercing her into group sex acts, and manipulating her through fear and drugs.
Within the first year of dating, Ventura testified, Combs introduced voyeurism and soon had her organizing “freak offs".
“I didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turn on, but I accepted the responsibility,” she said. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy. It wasn't something that I wanted to be doing, especially as regularly as it became, but again, I was in love and wanted to make him happy.”
Coordinating and participating in sex parties at Diddy’s direction led to a decline in Cassie’s health. “I was definitely going through a period of, like, these episodes that I later figured out were, like, PTSD episodes. I would black out,” she alleged, per Vulture.
“Sean was concerned that I was having seizures. Um, sleep walking quite a bit. My body was - in my mind, my body was telling me that I needed to just chill out,” she added.
While the 'Long Way 2 Go' singer was not having seizures, the fear of violence loomed heavily over her. Prosecutors showed a picture of the door at her apartment in 2018, where she had placed a large kitchen knife in the handle.
“I was getting a lot of unannounced visits from Sean, where he was angry, and trying to kill two birds with one stone, to lock it and have a weapon,” she explained. She also alleged that her ex-partner sexually assaulted her at this same apartment later that year, after the two had dinner and a “kind of a closure conversation”.
Cassie said she felt that she and Combs had already broken up. She was seeing now-husband Alex Fine, who has been present in court supporting her during her testimony.