Sean 'Diddy' Combs Receives Stern Warning From Trial Judge About Forbidden Interaction With Jury Members
Judge Arun Subramanian gave Sean 'Diddy' Combs a stern warning during his federal trial on Thursday, June 5, after the court official noticed the rapper interacting with jury members.
In his statements, Judge Subramanian slammed Diddy for displaying behavior that was "unacceptable" before threatening to remove him from the courtroom should it happen again.
According to NBC News, Judge Subramanian slammed Diddy and his legal team for the rapper's forbidden interaction with jury members during the fourth week of his federal trial.
'I was very clear, there should be no facial expressions to the jury,' Subramanian told Diddy's legal team. 'I could not have been clearer. There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury.'
The judge continued, telling Diddy that his behavior was "unacceptable."
However, Judge Subramanian didn't stop there. He added, 'There should be no efforts to have any interactions with this jury. If it happens again, I will give an instruction to the jury or it could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom.'
Diddy's attorney assured the judge that such an interaction was "not going to happen again."
The judge's intense warning to Diddy is the latest development in a trial that has already seen weeks of compelling testimony from witnesses about their alleged interactions with the rapper.
Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, was one of the first witnesses to take the stand, and there, she recalled several disturbing allegations from her decade-long union with the "Hello Good Morning" performer.
In one statement, the "Me & U" singer alleged that Diddy pressured her into having sex with other men during elaborate sexual orgies, also dubbed "freak offs."
Diddy's children, including his 18-year-old twin daughters, have been attending his trial; however, one of the accused mogul's former employees expressed their concern over the decision during an earlier interview.
'The fact that the kids are marching up to that court, praying over everything, and walking in with a bunch of women also that are encouraging it,' Aubrey O'Day, former lead singer of Diddy's previous girl group, Danity Kane, said in May 2025.
'I don't know any father that would want their children to sit through testimony about how much their daddy liked to watch people [get] lubricated, f-cking, getting pissed on and urinated in their mouths, having his girlfriend come in the other room and rub their c-m all over his nipples,' she continued, referring to part of Cassie's testimony.
O'Day explained that Diddy allowing his children to be present was "concerning" to her, adding that she believed it was all a ploy to gain sympathy from the court.
"The optics of them being there and supporting [their] father are obviously a very strong play for the defense," she stated.
Elsewhere, during her interview, O'Day praised Cassie for her bravery and strength on the witness stand. "It feels very open, vulnerable, and horrific," she said.
"Sometimes I hear her discuss things that she did then and how now she would never, she understands it differently, and that makes me feel like so happy for her that she's come, you know, because I don't know her as a mom, so like to understand that she made that evolution and went to the other side of viewing all of it made me feel like really proud of her," the "Damaged" singer added.
And O'Day isn't the only one with a past connection to Diddy and Cassie speaking out. A former escort, Shawn Dearing, who claims he was hired by Diddy at least a "dozen" times, also discussed his experiences with the pair and expressed support for Cassie.
"She was so uplifting — the kindest and most respectful person," Dearing said. "She was genuine throughout the whole experience."
"You got me tearing up!" he added. "I want what's best for her, honestly, because she … she's a bad-ss lady, man. She's awesome. So I want her respect first and foremost."
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Ventura previously testified the beating took place when she attempted to sneak out of hotel after Combs punched her in the face during one of his freak-offs. Garcia, then 24 years old, said he began his shift hours after the 'domestic dispute' erupted, but eventually fielded a phone call from Khorram, who asked him about any security footage. 'Off the record, it's bad,' he recalled telling her. Diddy later allegedly told the security guard he had too much to drink and 'if this got out, it would ruin him,' Garcia said. During emotional testimony spanning several days, a woman using the pseudonym 'Jane' recalled the debilitating pressure she felt to participate in Diddy's freak-offs, and how the marathon sex sessions turned their relationship into something she feared. She said she met Combs in November 2020 and fell 'head over heels' shortly after they started dating two months later. As a couple, they enjoyed elaborate outings and frequent trips, which often involved drugs that made her feel 'relaxed, euphoric, sexual,' she said. Prior to that, she'd only taken drugs twice before. Jane told jurors things started to change after Diddy suggested she have sex with a male escort in front of him. Despite feeling uncomfortable with the idea, she said she agreed not realizing he was being serious — until he informed her shortly later 'there's somebody coming.' That first freak-off opened 'a Pandora's box in the relationship,' Jane said, telling the court she had no idea at the time it would become a frequent event. Much like Ventura, she testified that subsequent encounters involved her being plied with drugs to keep her awake and recorded without her consent. Jane said she went along with the freak-offs for a while, attempting to gain some control by choosing which escorts she slept with. By September 2023, she admitted to Diddy in a lengthy text that the 'dark' encounters made her feel 'disgusted' with herself, but she was afraid to 'lose the roof over my head.' Jane, a young single mom, cried throughout her testimony. She said she felt 'obligated to perform' in the freak-offs, partly because she believed Diddy loved her and partly because he often threatened to cut her off if she didn't do what he said. At the time, Diddy had been paying her rent. Jane remained with the rapper up until his arrest. Judge Arun Subramanian on Friday once again warned Diddy about interacting with and trying to influence the jury, threatening to give him the boot if he continued to ignore the directive. 'I saw your client looking at the jury and nodding vigorously,' said the judge, who called Diddy's behavior 'absolutely unacceptable.' 'If it happens again, if it happens even once, I will hear an application from the government to give a curative instruction to the jury, which you do not want,' Subramanian continued. 'Or I will consider taking further measures, which could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom.' Combs' lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, assured the judge it would not happen again. The scolding came after Combs seemingly nodded at jurors during Bongolan's testimony about the balcony incident. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
