Latest news with #BadBoysRecords
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Witness accusing Sean Combs of sexual assault defends online posts of 'great times'
The defense for Sean "Diddy" Combs on Friday used upbeat social media posts to attack the credibility of one of the women accusing the music mogul of sexual assault during his federal trial in New York. "Isn't it true that Mr Combs never had unwanted nonconsensual forcible contact with you?" lawyer Brian Steel said to a former Bad Boys Records assistant testifying under the pseudonym Mia, during questioning that included displays of her personal social media posts. The testimony came as US President Donald Trump pondered aloud if he would offer 55-year-old Combs a pardon during a press conference at the White House Friday, saying "I don't know, I would certainly look at the facts." The facts are still unfolding in a trial that is expected to last into summer, in a case that revolves around Combs's relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. Earlier in the trial Ventura detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons with male prostitutes known as "freak-offs." This week, Mia described how her job between 2009 and 2017 became a nightmare as she worked to protect Ventura from Combs's fits of rage, or care for her after the attacks, tending to "busted lips," "bruises" and "a black eye." Combs would tell Mia to "go take care of her," adding that "we were not allowed" to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal, Mia testified Thursday. She also testified that she personally endured abuses, including rapes, while working for Combs, recounting the painful and traumatic episodes with her head bowed. During cross examination on Friday, Steel confronted Mia with her social media posts, where she presented a much more positive image of her relationship with her boss. On a courtroom screen displaying Mia's Instagram posts, she called Combs "an extraordinary cultural phenomenon" and shared affectionate messages on his birthdays. Steel asked how she could publish such posts about a man she now accuses of sexual assault. "Of course you post the great times," Mia said. "Instagram is a place to show how great your life was even if it's not true." After Mia read her posts aloud, Steel questioned Mia's allegations, to which she replied twice "everything I said in this courtroom is true." "Ask any abuse victim's advocate and they could explain it to you much better than I could." On Thursday, Mia testified that Combs subjected her to "sporadic" instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles. "I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused," Mia said about one of the assaults. "He was the boss or the king, very powerful person," she said. "This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him," she added. At the conclusion of the court's proceedings, jurors will have to determine whether that Grammy-winning artist and producer has used his fame, wealth and influence in hip-hop to support a criminal enterprise and sexual trafficking. arb/sla/jgc
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' legal team uses Instagram posts to question credibility of witness
NEW YORK, May 31 — The defence for Sean 'Diddy' Combs yesterday used upbeat social media posts to attack the credibility of one of the women accusing the music mogul of sexual assault during his federal trial in New York. 'Isn't it true that Mr Combs never had unwanted nonconsensual forcible contact with you?' lawyer Brian Steel said to a former Bad Boys Records assistant testifying under the pseudonym Mia, during questioning that included displays of her personal social media posts. The testimony came as US President Donald Trump pondered aloud if he would offer 55-year-old Combs a pardon during a press conference at the White House yesterday, saying 'I don't know, I would certainly look at the facts.' The facts are still unfolding in a trial that is expected to last into summer, in a case that revolves around Combs's relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. Earlier in the trial Ventura detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons with male prostitutes known as 'freak-offs.' This week, Mia described how her job between 2009 and 2017 became a nightmare as she worked to protect Ventura from Combs's fits of rage, or care for her after the attacks, tending to 'busted lips,' 'bruises' and 'a black eye.' Combs would tell Mia to 'go take care of her,' adding that 'we were not allowed' to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal, Mia testified Thursday. She also testified that she personally endured abuses, including rapes, while working for Combs, recounting the painful and traumatic episodes with her head bowed. Instagram vs reality During cross examination yesterday, Steel confronted Mia with her social media posts, where she presented a much more positive image of her relationship with her boss. On a courtroom screen displaying Mia's Instagram posts, she called Combs 'an extraordinary cultural phenomenon' and shared affectionate messages on his birthdays. Steel asked how she could publish such posts about a man she now accuses of sexual assault. 'Of course you post the great times,' Mia said. 'Instagram is a place to show how great your life was even if it's not true.' After Mia read her posts aloud, Steel questioned Mia's allegations, to which she replied twice 'everything I said in this courtroom is true.' 'Ask any abuse victim's advocate and they could explain it to you much better than I could.' On Thursday, Mia testified that Combs subjected her to 'sporadic' instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles. 'I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused,' Mia said about one of the assaults. 'He was the boss or the king, very powerful person,' she said. 'This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him,' she added. At the conclusion of the court's proceedings, jurors will have to determine whether that Grammy-winning artist and producer has used his fame, wealth and influence in hip-hop to support a criminal enterprise and sexual trafficking. — AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Witness accusing Sean Combs of sexual assault defends online posts of 'great times'
The defense for Sean "Diddy" Combs on Friday used upbeat social media posts to attack the credibility of one of the women accusing the music mogul of sexual assault during his federal trial in New York. "Isn't it true that Mr Combs never had unwanted nonconsensual forcible contact with you?" lawyer Brian Steel said to a former Bad Boys Records assistant testifying under the pseudonym Mia, during questioning that included displays of her personal social media posts. The testimony came as US President Donald Trump pondered aloud if he would offer 55-year-old Combs a pardon during a press conference at the White House Friday, saying "I don't know, I would certainly look at the facts." The facts are still unfolding in a trial that is expected to last into summer, in a case that revolves around Combs's relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. Earlier in the trial Ventura detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons with male prostitutes known as "freak-offs." This week, Mia described how her job between 2009 and 2017 became a nightmare as she worked to protect Ventura from Combs's fits of rage, or care for her after the attacks, tending to "busted lips," "bruises" and "a black eye." Combs would tell Mia to "go take care of her," adding that "we were not allowed" to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal, Mia testified Thursday. She also testified that she personally endured abuses, including rapes, while working for Combs, recounting the painful and traumatic episodes with her head bowed. - Instagram vs reality - During cross examination on Friday, Steel confronted Mia with her social media posts, where she presented a much more positive image of her relationship with her boss. On a courtroom screen displaying Mia's Instagram posts, she called Combs "an extraordinary cultural phenomenon" and shared affectionate messages on his birthdays. Steel asked how she could publish such posts about a man she now accuses of sexual assault. "Of course you post the great times," Mia said. "Instagram is a place to show how great your life was even if it's not true." After Mia read her posts aloud, Steel questioned Mia's allegations, to which she replied twice "everything I said in this courtroom is true." "Ask any abuse victim's advocate and they could explain it to you much better than I could." On Thursday, Mia testified that Combs subjected her to "sporadic" instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles. "I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused," Mia said about one of the assaults. "He was the boss or the king, very powerful person," she said. "This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him," she added. At the conclusion of the court's proceedings, jurors will have to determine whether that Grammy-winning artist and producer has used his fame, wealth and influence in hip-hop to support a criminal enterprise and sexual trafficking. arb/sla/jgc
France 24
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Witness accusing Sean Combs of sexual assault defends online posts of 'great times'
"Isn't it true that Mr Combs never had unwanted nonconsensual forcible contact with you?" lawyer Brian Steel said to a former Bad Boys Records assistant testifying under the pseudonym Mia, during questioning that included displays of her personal social media posts. The testimony came as US President Donald Trump pondered aloud if he would offer 55-year-old Combs a pardon during a press conference at the White House Friday, saying "I don't know, I would certainly look at the facts." The facts are still unfolding in a trial that is expected to last into summer, in a case that revolves around Combs's relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. Earlier in the trial Ventura detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons with male prostitutes known as "freak-offs." This week, Mia described how her job between 2009 and 2017 became a nightmare as she worked to protect Ventura from Combs's fits of rage, or care for her after the attacks, tending to "busted lips," "bruises" and "a black eye." Combs would tell Mia to "go take care of her," adding that "we were not allowed" to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal, Mia testified Thursday. She also testified that she personally endured abuses, including rapes, while working for Combs, recounting the painful and traumatic episodes with her head bowed. Instagram vs reality During cross examination on Friday, Steel confronted Mia with her social media posts, where she presented a much more positive image of her relationship with her boss. On a courtroom screen displaying Mia's Instagram posts, she called Combs "an extraordinary cultural phenomenon" and shared affectionate messages on his birthdays. Steel asked how she could publish such posts about a man she now accuses of sexual assault. "Of course you post the great times," Mia said. "Instagram is a place to show how great your life was even if it's not true." After Mia read her posts aloud, Steel questioned Mia's allegations, to which she replied twice "everything I said in this courtroom is true." "Ask any abuse victim's advocate and they could explain it to you much better than I could." On Thursday, Mia testified that Combs subjected her to "sporadic" instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles. "I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused," Mia said about one of the assaults. "He was the boss or the king, very powerful person," she said. "This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him," she added. At the conclusion of the court's proceedings, jurors will have to determine whether that Grammy-winning artist and producer has used his fame, wealth and influence in hip-hop to support a criminal enterprise and sexual trafficking.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sean Diddy Combs trial: Britney Spears' connection revealed before disastrous MTV performance
The trial of American hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs , who is accused of running a sprawling sex trafficking operation, is underway in New York. He was arrested in September last year and faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. In a startling revelation, fans have now unearthed pictures of Britney Spears partying with the music mogul the night before the worst performance of her career, reports The Daily Mail. Britney Spears partied all night with Sean 'Diddy' Combs before her disastrous performance at the 2007 MTV Music Video Awards. The pictures of the "Toxic" songstress show her smiling alongside the Bad Boys Records founder at Jet nightclub in Las Vegas on September 7, 2007. Combs' trial began on May 12 after he was initially arrested in September 2024. He has denied all of the allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges. ALSO READ: Poll reveals this group is now the loneliest in the US- inside the shocking 'epidemic'. Here's why Sean Diddy and Britney Spears link? The pop star's name was mentioned during the ongoing trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, 55, who has pleaded not guilty to allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering that, if convicted, could keep him locked up the rest of his life. Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura , 38, testified that he invited Spears, now 43, to her 21st birthday celebration at Pure nightclub on September 7, 2007. Diddy and Spears also attended an afterparty thrown by rapper 50 Cent at the since-renamed The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino later in the evening, that extended into the early morning hours of September 8, 2007. Fans are now coming to the terms that less than 24 hours later, Spears took to the stage to perform Gimme More at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards on September 9, 2007. Live Events The photos of the 'Womanizer' hitmaker, now 43, partying with Combs, now 55, were unearthed after Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura name-dropped Spears during Combs' ongoing sex-trafficking 'Me & U' singer, now 38, testified that her relationship with Combs 'sort of' began in September 2007 while celebrating her 21st birthday in Las Vegas. ALSO READ: 'They can't add 2+2': Trump's controversial claims on Harvard students regarding remedial math In her 2023 memoir, 'The Woman in Me,' Spears wrote that 'nothing was going right' before she performed. 'There was a problem with my costume and with my hair extensions,' she wrote. 'I hadn't slept the night before. I was dizzy.' "Sean was there, and he brought Dallas Austin and Britney Spears. Those are the two that really stand out in my memory," Ventura testified in court on May 15. ALSO READ: Tom Cruise net worth: How much money does the 'Mission: Impossible' star currently have? Britney Spears made headlines on September 9, 2007, with her performance of 'Gimme More' at the MTV Video Music Awards. Billed as a highly anticipated comeback, the appearance was met with widespread criticism due to her unsteady choreography and visibly poor lip-syncing. Backstage, Spears also had an unexpected encounter with her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, whom she had dated from 1999 to 2002. 'It had been a while since I'd seen him,' she later recalled. 'I couldn't believe I was going to have to go out onstage feeling the way I felt.' At the time, the 'Circus' singer was under intense public scrutiny, following a turbulent period that included her divorce from Kevin Federline and the infamous moment she shaved her head just months prior. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
