Diddy trial live updates: No, Eddie Murphy, Leonardo DiCaprio didn't testify in sex-crimes case
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs continue to hone in on the music mogul's alleged history of sexual abuse as one of Combs' former girlfriends details the dynamic of their intimate relationship during his criminal trial.
Cross-examination of the woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Jane," is set to resume in Manhattan court on June 11 after Combs' legal team questioned her about the financial support he provided her, warm moments between the couple and the alleged "hotel nights" they held with male escorts.
While on the stand June 10, Jane confirmed that when she moved into a rental home in April 2023, Combs paid approximately $40,000 to cover the security deposit and rent for her first and last month. When Combs' lawyer, Teny Geragos, asked Jane if she believed Combs would stop paying her rent, she alleged he used the payments as a control tactic.
Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges.
"I felt pressured to perform these things my lover desired," Jane told jurors of her alleged sexual performances with Combs. Her testimony comes after she alleged her ex-boyfriend physically, sexually and psychologically abused her during their on-and-off relationship.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
BET Awards host Kevin Hart alluded to the music mogul during his opening monologue as he joked about why the show was happening on a Monday night. Hart called for "no afterparties" on a work night and said those are were things get "slippery, at them god damn afterparties."
After dropping the reference to Combs' propensity for baby oil, Hart added, "We're learning a lot about people, ain't we?"
As Combs' lawyers questioned Jane, the cross-examination was markedly different from Mia's cross-examination, even borderline friendly. Mia was the first woman who testified using a pseudonym in Combs' trial and also alleged sweeping abuse.
To note, Jane met with Combs' attorneys prior to the trial starting, as recently as April.
However, Jane's testimony did turn sharp at one point, when she shared she felt Combs gave other women more gifts and quality time during their relationships.
Combs' lawyer Teny Geragos asked Jane how much a purse from the luxury brand Bottega Veneta costs – an apparent reference to the thousands of dollars Combs gave Jane during their relationship – and Jane shot back "How much does my body cost?"
50 Cent is looking to give President Donald Trump his two cents about Combs. In an Instagram post on May 30, the "In da Club" emcee said he would reach out to Trump after the president said he would "look at the facts" in Combs' case, suggesting a pardon could be on the table.
The rapper shared a clip of the president's comments in his post and wrote that Combs "said some really bad things about Trump," adding that he will "reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy."
A team of experienced lawyers is helping Combs defend himself against sex crimes charges.
Nicole Westmoreland of Westmoreland Law LLC, filed a notice of attorney appearance with the court last month.
Combs' defense team was already being led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos. Agnifilo is a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater and, according to the firm's website, has tried more than 200 cases in his 30-year career. He is a former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney.
Geragos is also a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater and is "particularly experienced in defending and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct," according to the firm's website.
Despite videos circulating online, which appear to show artificially generated court sketches of Eddie Murphy testifying at the Combs trial, the actor has not been in the courtroom and is not expected to be called as a witness.
While a specter of celebrity hangs heavy over the proceedings, many of the big names roped in have merely been name-drops from the stand by lesser-known witnesses from Combs' inner circle.
The only true 'celebrities' to testify thus far have been Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura Fine and Kid Cudi.
More: Who is 'Jane'? Witness faces battle for anonymity in Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
You may have seen major celebs like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio named during Combs' trial. But the A-list actors aren't accused of anything − they've only been mentioned in the background of events Combs attended.
For example, a former assistant identified as Mia alleged that she witnessed a 2012 discussion between Combs and Cassie Ventura Fine escalate at the premiere of a Pitt film during the Cannes Film Festival in France.
She claimed she saw Combs grit his teeth while digging his nails into Ventura Fine's arm, and he eventually insisted that Ventura Fine leave.
Mia also referenced a high-stakes poker game between Combs and DiCaprio in texts she sent him around 2020.
In one message, she wrote that Combs said, while cursing: "That 'Titanic' (guy) doesn't know (anything). He won $10,000, I won $650,000."
During cross-examination on June 10, Combs' lawyers asked Jane about times she appeared to willingly participate in hotel nights and other alleged sexual performances.
In one text exchange, Jane offered up her house for a "freak off" because she wanted to "spend time with my favorite person." In response, Combs offered for him and Paul, an escort, to "stop by."On the stand, Jane said she wanted alone time with Combs, but "that's the only option I was given. I wanted to see my lover, so I was accepting that."
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More: Britney Spears, Michael B. Jordan, Rihanna: All the celebs mentioned during the Diddy trial
Jane previously testified that she recruited sex worker Sly Williams to join their alleged hotel nights after watching him in adult films.
During the June 10 hearing, she explained that she and Combs watched Williams on a pornography site in October 2021. When Jane messaged Williams, Combs was "surprised and really happy because he had never had a girl pick the guy before," she said. Jane also found another sex worker named Anton through the same site.
She alleged Williams later threatened to sell a tape of the two of them having sex and extorted her not to release it. Jane said Combs was "livid" and told her to call the police, but she didn't out of fear.
On June 10, Jane said she, Combs and one of the escorts they allegedly hired used the nickname "trifecta" when they had sex.
Jane claimed she was Kobe Bryant; Paul, the entertainer, was Shaquille O'Neal; and Combs was Michael Jordan. Jane said she frequently called Paul, the escort, her "boyfriend" and called Paul and Combs her "boys."
While being cross-examined on June 10, Jane said she became worried Combs was struggling with substance use early in their relationship while they were on a trip to Turks and Caicos. She said Combs' eyes were jaundiced, his gums were gray from alleged drug use and his hands were shaking from what she believed was alcohol withdrawal.
Jane said she suggested they go to Thailand, where there was a facility with a 30-day program, to which Combs allegedly responded, "What the hell, you think I need rehab?"
"I felt that I encountered somebody that was overdoing the partying," Jane said, adding she would now call Combs a drug addict. She said she wanted "him to get back to his natural form and natural state."
Combs' attorneys have once again had their push for a mistrial in his sex-crimes case denied.
The embattled music mogul's legal team's latest request for a mistrial has been rejected by Judge Arun Subramanian. Combs' lawyers had renewed a motion for a mistrial due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct in a letter to the judge dated June 7.
Combs' lawyers' latest push for a mistrial centered around testimony from Bryana "Bana" Bongolan, a friend of Ventura Fine. Bongolan testified about an incident where Combs allegedly held her up on a balcony in Ventura Fine's Los Angeles apartment in September 2016.
Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy trial live updates: Who is Jane? Combs' ex takes the stand
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