Diddy Tells Courtroom Artist To 'Soften' Him Up In Her Sketches, Claims He Looks Like A 'Koala Bear'

Yahoo

19 hours ago

Sean "Diddy" Combs has expressed his dissatisfaction with a courtroom sketch of him during his sex trafficking trial on Thursday.
For weeks, the jury has been listening to testimony from Diddy's alleged victims, associates, and witnesses, while the rapper observes from the defense section.
During these proceedings, courtroom sketches of Sean "Diddy" Combs are drawn by artists, one of whom reportedly received a subtle nod of approval from Diddy's mother, Janice Combs.
On Thursday's hearing of Diddy's sex crimes trial, the rapper made a request to the courtroom sketch artist, Jane Rosenberg, that showed he was displeased with how she had captured him.
"Soften me up a bit, you're making me look like a koala bear," Combs said, per the New York Post.
The incident reportedly happened while the jury was out for a break, and it is unclear whether Rosenberg issued a response to the music mogul when he made the weird request.
Rosenberg is one of the artists who have been covering the rapper's trial since it began in May.
Her services, and those of others like her, have been invaluable for documenting the proceedings, as the judge's ruling prohibited the televising of the trial and banned all attendees from taking photos, making recordings, or livestreaming.
While Rosenberg got criticized by the embattled rapper, another courtroom sketch artist, Christine Cornell, previously claimed she received a "thumbs-up" from Diddy's mother, Janice Combs, when she drew her during one of the proceedings.
"Puffy Combs' mom is sitting behind me, and she tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a thumbs-up," Cornell recalled the scene during her appearance on Dateline's True Crime Weekly podcast, per US Weekly.
She added, "She likes the way I'm drawing her son. I said, 'Well, ma'am, do you mind if I draw you?' She, right away, started posing for me."
Cornell also claimed that people have been drawn to her sketches, which range between three and six each day of the trial.
"You want to have a really accurate drawing that really resembles them, and you want to capture a little bit of the dynamic of the courtroom," the artist further remarked. "For the most part, I get a lot of affirmation."
Diddy is being tried on five felony charges, namely racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
He was initially facing just single counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, but the extra two counts were added in a superseding indictment in April.
Last month, Diddy's legal team pushed for a mistrial, arguing that federal prosecutors had crossed a line during their questioning of one of the witnesses.
According to the defense, prosecutors unfairly hinted that Combs had a hand in covering up key evidence tied to the arson case involving Kid Cudi's vehicle.
However, the motion received a quick shutdown from Judge Arun Subramanian, who said that "absolutely no testimony from the witness was prejudicial in any way, shape, or form."
If Diddy is found guilty of all of the charges, he faces the possibility of living the rest of his life in prison.
Since the trial began, several witnesses have taken the stand to testify against Diddy. One of the most prominent is his former partner, singer and actress Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura.
During her testimony, Cassie spoke extensively about years of alleged abuse by the rapper, including graphic details about the now-infamous "freak-offs," which she claimed she was often forced to participate in without consent.
Her mother, Regina Ventura, was also called to testify and supported many of her daughter's allegations.
Rapper Kid Cudi, who previously dated Cassie in 2011, also took the stand. He recalled the disturbing incident when his car was firebombed, an event believed to be linked to his brief relationship with Cassie.
Other witnesses have included singer Dawn Richard, Cassie's former best friend and roommate Kerry Morgan, and makeup artist Mylah Morales, all of whom spoke about instances of Diddy's allegedly assaulting Cassie.
Diddy has reportedly adopted the position of a "quarterback" to his lineup of well-paid attorneys and has seemingly shaken off the early nerves he felt in the courtroom during the trial.
According to the Daily Mail, he has been seen passing dozens of sticky notes to his lawyers, intensely questioning them during breaks, and suggesting they bring in different evidence, and has generally used his memories to bolster his lawyers' tactics.
"He was there, he remembers exactly what happened: nobody knows more about Diddy's life than he does," a source told the news outlet. "He's very involved and he's on top of things because he knows his life is on the line."