Kid Cudi Opens Up About Diddy Trial: ‘I Hated Every Minute' of Testifying but ‘I'm Here to Support Cassie'
Discussing the trial with 'Call Her Daddy' host Alex Cooper in a podcast interview, Cudi said, 'I hated every minute of it. I did not want to do it.' But he knew that his purpose in the courtroom was to 'support Cassie,' aka Casandra Ventura, Combs' longtime ex-girlfriend and the key witness in his trial.
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For a brief period in 2011, Cudi was in a romantic relationship with Ventura when she was apparently on a break with Combs. Cudi testified that when Combs found out about his relationship with Ventura, Combs broke into Cudi's house in the Hollywood Hills. Ventura alleged that Combs told her he would blow up Cudi's car, and in January 2012, Cudi's Porsche exploded. While there is no clear evidence linking Combs to the firebombing, prosecutors accused Combs of carrying out the attack. (Combs was acquitted of racketeering charges, as well as sex trafficking charges. He was found guilty of two lesser counts related to prostitution.)
Cudi said he was feeling 'calm' when he walked into the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan on May 22. 'I was there because I had to be,' he said. When federal prosecutors first asked him to testify against Combs, he declined. 'They asked again. I said no. Then I got subpoenaed, and I was like, 'Fuck! Shit! No!'' Cudi said.
He soon began thinking about what he would wear to court, asking himself, 'Do I have to be like in a fucking suit or something?' He opted for something more casual. 'I was like, 'Fuck this shit.' This is what I'm wearing today. I'm going to the fucking shit in this. I'm not dressing up for this shit. Wearing some hard bottoms? I'm wearing some Salomons and I'm coming in there with my Levi's and my leather jacket, and that's it.'
While Cudi did not enjoy his time on the witness stand, he said he found 'peace' in the idea of being there for Ventura. 'Cassie is my friend. I love her, and I want to see her do well,' Cudi said. 'When I saw her get married, I was so happy for her that she found someone, her person. When I saw that she was having kids, I was like, 'Oh this is so awesome.' I've always just wanted to see her thrive and do well and be happy, because I know she was living a nightmare. I was there to support her.'
In a separate interview on 'CBS Mornings,' Cudi talked about the public response to his testimony.
'The backlash was swift. I had a lot of people that supported me, but there were a few that had some opinions about it,' he said. 'It was interesting because I'm not no street dude. I don't live by no code, you know? So I guess it's because I'm a rapper. People just threw that on me. But, like, my music has never been about that and I have never tried to pretend I was about that. I'm from the suburbs, baby!'
When Cooper asked Cudi about living through that period of his life, when he was dating Ventura and dealing with alleged threats and transgressions from Combs, the 'Pursuit of Happiness' singer seemed at a loss for words.
'It was crazy, man,' he said between long pauses. 'I had a hard time understanding if it was reality. I was like, 'Am I in a movie? What the fuck is going on?''
Cudi said he was already 'standoffish' in the entertainment industry, and his experience in late 2011 and early 2012 made him more of a hermit. He said he rarely goes out in public in Los Angeles.
This marks the first time Cudi has spoken out about his experience at the Combs trial in an interview. Following his testimony in May, he posted a message to social media thanking his fans for their support, saying, 'This was a stressful situation. I'm glad it's behind me.'
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