A revolting text message Diddy sent to his ex, Cassie Ventura, just days after he brutally assaulted her in a hotel corridor has been revealed in court.
In May 2024, CNN shared incredibly distressing footage from the now-defunct InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, which had been filmed in 2016.
The surveillance camera footage, dated March 5, 2016, shows Diddy - real name Sean Combs - confronting and assaulting his then-girlfriend Ventura in the corridors of the hotel, appearing to grab, shove, drag, and kick Ventura.
After the footage went viral, Combs shared a video apologizing for his actions, and the pair reached a private settlement to Ventura's 2023 lawsuit against the rapper and record producer.
The high profile trial began on Monday (May 12) as Combs faces charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and racketeering among other accusations, all of which he denies.
His former partner Ventura, 38, took to the stand this week to share a harrowing testimony detailing the alleged abuse she endured at the hands of the 55-year-old rapper and record producer.
The pair dated on and off for nearly a decade before finally splitting for good in 2018, with Ventura claiming in court documents obtained by NBC News that she was “lured” into dating Diddy — who she described as a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man” — shortly after signing with his record label, and claimed she feared retaliation if she rejected his advances.
The 2016 incident was brought up in court as Ventura described running out of the couple's hotel room following a brutal "freak-off" session - degrading sex sessions which often included others, including sex workers, and copious amounts of baby oil.
After Ventura ran from the room, Combs - who was filmed running after her wearing nothing but a towel around his waist - appeared to violently throw her to the ground by her hair as she tried to make it into an elevator, before repeatedly kicking her and dragging her back.
Ventura revealed to the court that days after the horrifying video was filmed, Combs had sent her a text message telling her: "I’m so horny for you!!!"
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Still reeling from the incident, Ventura replied: "You are? What made you feel that way?"
Combs then responded that he had "felt that way from Friday," referring to the day of the incident, adding: "What you doing?"
Ventura, who is currently eight months pregnant with her third child with husband Alex Fine, testified that she found it "a little strange" that Combs would send her that message after having hit and kicked her days earlier.
She had text him back to say that what happened that day "wasn't a good vibe," adding: "We need a different vibe than Friday."
Combs appeared to agree, replying: "F**k Friday lol. I don’t even want to do that again," to which Ventura replied: "Lol true."
Ventura had been on the stand last week where she testified and was cross-examined by Combs' defense team, who sought to claim that the couple's participation in "freak-offs" was consensual and that the pair had a loving - though turbulent - 11-year relationship.
One message exchange from 2009 - the early days of the pair's relationship - shared by Combs' defense team showed the rapper asking "When do you want to do freak off?", to which Ventura replied: "I'm always ready to freak off."
Ventura had previously brought a civil case against Combs which was settled for $20 million.
He was then arrested in September 2024 on five criminal counts including one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, all of which he has denied.
Since his arrest, Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and could face a maximum term of life in prison if convicted on all counts.