Latest news with #SeanCombs
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bill Maher blasts Cassie saying she CHOSE to stay with Diddy and was 'enthusiastic' about freak-offs
Diddy trial for 'choosing' to stay with the disgraced rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs and was 'enthusiastic' about the infamous freak-offs. Maher slammed the singer for her role in Diddy's ongoing trial, and showed text messages Cassie sent Diddy at the time which proved her 'enthusiastic consent' in the freak-offs. 'We need to keep two thoughts in our head at the same time: One, Diddy is a bad dude - really bad. Like, the worst thing in rap since Hammer pants. A violent, sick f*** - I'm sorry, an alleged violent, sick f***. And we should lock him up and throw away the baby oil,' Maher began. 'And two, things have changed enough that moving forward, the rule should be, if you're being abused, you've got to leave right away.' Maher then referred to Cassie and insinuated that her 'enthusiasm' for the freak-offs and long running relationship with Diddy only bolstered his legal defense. 'If Diddy walks free, it will be because his lawyers can point to an endless stream of texts from Cassie expressing what's often called 'enthusiastic consent' to their sex life,' Maher said. 'If you're 'MeToo-ing' someone, it's not helpful to your case if you text him, 'me too!'' The host presented text messages of Cassie's 'enthusiasm', such as one which read: 'I'm always ready to freak off.' 'It's not victim-shaming to expect women to have the agency to leave toxic relationships. Quite the contrary, to not expect that is infantilizing,' Maher declared. 'I understand why it can be difficult for women to leave an abusive relationship, but this should be society's new grand bargain,' Maher said. 'We take every allegation seriously, but don't tell me anymore about your contemporaneous account that you said to two friends ten years ago.' 'Tell the police right away. Don't wait a decade. Don't journal about it. Don't turn it into a one-woman show. And most importantly, don't keep f***ing him. Your only contemporaneous notes about what he did should be a police report.' Maher's take is that with the MeToo movement, women have fewer reasons not to come forward about abuse and leave an abusive relationship. 'We're not in the 'no one listens to women or takes them seriously' era anymore. Operators are actually standing by to take your calls,' he said. The Real Time host declared that there should be a 'new rule,' that 'if you're being abused, you've got to leave right way,' and applied this rule to Cassie as she testifies against Diddy. 'When women felt, for good reason, that 'OG predators' like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein would never be held accountable, why not at least get something out of it?' he said. 'It was not illogical for an abused women to say, 'Well, if I can't get justice for my pain, can I at least get a receipt? A coupon?'' he continued, insinuating that Cassie was benefiting in her career from their relationship. An emotional and heavily pregnant Ventura broke down on the stand as she testified against Diddy with claims that he raped her, was an out-of-control drug addict, and someone she felt she couldn't leave Maher said that having an 'honest conversation about abuse' must include the realities of 'what people are willing to do for stardom.' 'If you want a No.1 record so bad, you'll take a No.1 in the face, some of that is on you,' he said. 'And if you're doing it for love, well, c'mon, Oprah and Dr. Phil and every podcaster in the world by now have done a million shows about 'abuse is not love' and 'abusers don't change.'' Maher finished his relationship expertise by drawing comparisons from Ike and Tina Turner's relationship, he said: 'R&B singer Ike Turner was a psycho, just like Diddy. But in an era when there was no movement to help her, Tina Turner somehow got away and she did it with 36 cents in her pocket and a mobile card.' His slam on Cassie recieved mixed messages online, with some supporting the host while others finding it out of touch. One comment on X said: 'He's not wrong. There is 0 doubt that Diddy is a pos scumbag & he should've gone to jail for assault & battery. But if Cassie is the star witness on this 'RICO' case, Diddy should be freed today.' 'You can look at this situation from all different directions, maybe she stayed for fame and fortune, maybe she stayed in fear. People will do anything for fame and Fortune, the industry is the devils play ground, in the worst way,' another said. '@billmaher showing his true colors with his acceptance of the psychological warfare and terror of controlling abusive men in the industry and beyond, but especially if you have a lot of money to contribute to the @DNC.' 'Obviously He has no clue how a victim can be mentally like Diddy do it on a grander scale..,' another said. Another wrote: 'Cassie was groomed at a young age; then she was dragged into a culture she was drowning in with no sign of getting out by a complete monster who terrified everyone around him. Let's make @billmaher someone's b*** and see how he likes it, because that's what Cassie was to Diddy.' Maher's brutal analysis comes only days after Cassie welcomed her third child with her husband Alex Fine not long after testifying at Diddy's trial. The Me & U singer welcomed her baby boy on Tuesday at a hospital in New York City, according to TMZ, citing sources with direct knowledge. Insiders say the child arrived slightly ahead of schedule, but Cassie and her newborn are healthy and well. Ventura was around eight months pregnant when she began her horrifying testimony in the trial on May 12. She delivered graphic testimonies alleging that the music mogul physically and psychologically abused her over more than a decade from 2007-2018. She detailed the regular beatings she allegedly experienced, the rapper's use of blackmail and scare tactics to coerce and manipulate, depraved sex acts she claims she was forced to participate in - and the medical toll she suffered as a result. Ventura concluded testifying on May 16, just 11 days before she went into labor. Controversy first publicly grew around Diddy in late 2023, when he quickly settled a sex abuse case Ventura filed against him for a rumored $30million. Multiple properties across the country he owned were raided in March of 2024 and he was arrested six months later in September. In May 2024 Combs' downfall was hastened by the release of a devastating video of him beating Ventura in the corridor of a hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. The video, which was first broadcast by CNN last May, was played in full to the trial before Ventura, a male escort and others gave their testimonies. He has remained incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting his trial after he was refused bail on multiple occasions. He faces life in prison on five federal charges: racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. Combs has plead not guilty to all the charges. His defense team has said the alleged victims are ex-girlfriends who willingly participated in threesomes. In the latest update, Diddy's lawyers asked the judge on Wednesday for a mistrial after arguing the prosecution made an unacceptable suggestion in front of the jury. The defense said it was 'outrageous' when prosecutors appeared to suggest the mogul had destroyed fingerprints taken from Kid Cudi's house after the January, 2012 bombing of his car. Prosecutors had asked LAFD official Lance Jimenez about the fingerprints, and he said the evidence was destroyed in August 2012. Jimenez said 'somebody within LAPD' authorized the destruction of the evidence. This is when Diddy's team objected. 'They know what they were doing,' the defense said of prosecutors. 'They were suggesting that someone in this courtroom has something to do with improper and suspicious destruction of these fingerprint cards and that's outrageous.' The attorneys added: 'The only proper remedy to cure the outrageous prejudice is a mistrial.' However, the defense's motion for a mistrial was denied.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bill Maher sparks backlash over Cassie and Diddy comments as trial continues
Bill Maher has ignited fury over his latest comments about the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial. To close out Friday night's Real Time With Bill Maher episode, the host delivered a monologue about the music mogul's ongoing trial and his thoughts on abuse and stardom. Combs is facing is facing sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges. He was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged he threatened, abused, and coerced victims 'to fulfill his sexual desires' between 2004 and 2024. Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing. 'Diddy is a bad dude, really bad,' Maher began. 'And we should lock him up and throw away the baby oil,' he continued in his signature satirical style. He then segued into discussing the trial in the context of the post-Me Too movement era, saying: 'Things have changed enough so that moving forward, the rule should be if you're being abused, you gotta leave right away.' 'Now I completely understand why in the past women often did not do that,' Maher continued. 'I understand, as counter-intuitive as it seems, why an abused woman would send complementary texts or emails to her abuser after the abuse. And that everywhere, women felt, for good reason, that O.G. predators like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein would never be held accountable. Why not at least get something out of it?' He continued, noting that the alleged perpetrators of abuse were 'surrounded by all sorts of enablers' who 'lured women into unsafe spaces,' and 'cowards who knew what was going on but didn't dare expose the person who signed their paycheck.' 'In that scenario,' Maher continued, 'it was not illogical for an abused woman to say, 'Well, if I can't get justice for my pain, can I at least get a receipt?'' Maher went on to point out that aforementioned abusers Cosby and Weinstein went to prison, with the latter expected to die behind bars. He also pointed out that post-Me Too movement reporting indicates women are more likely to speak up against mistreatment and abuse. Still, he reiterated being 'aware that it can be difficult to leave an abusive relationship.' He then said that women should go to the police right away instead of journaling in the aftermath of experiencing mistreatment or abuse. 'And most importantly, don't keep f****** him,' he said, seemingly referring to Combs's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura's pattern of repeatedly returning to the music mogul despite the alleged abuse she experienced. After brief applause, he continued: 'Your only contemporaneous notes about what he did should be the police report. It's not victim shaming to expect women to have the agency to leave toxic relationships. Quite the contrary, to not expect that is infantilizing them.' Maher then noted that if Combs were to walk free, it could be due to the alleged text messages from Ventura 'expressing what's often called enthusiastic consent to their sex life.' Ventura's texts were cross-examined as part of Combs's trial. 'I get it. Part of the allure of the music industry is you wanna be a star,' Maher continued. 'And music is, to begin with, highly sexualized.' 'But if we're going to have an honest conversation about abuse, we also have to have an honest conversation about what people are willing to do for stardom,' he added. 'If you want a number one record on the charts so bad you'll take a number one in the face, some of that is on you.' Maher continued: 'If you're literally being held captive, that's one thing. But if you're putting up with whatever for love or for your career, then you need to have a little more honesty and accountability about that.' The Independent has contacted a press representative for Maher's show for comment. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, nearly 1 in 3 college women say they've been in an abusive relationship, and, on average, it takes a woman about seven tries to leave an abusive relationship for good. Maher's monologue prompted intense backlash from women for failing to understand the difficulty in leaving abusive relationships, with several citing the 2016 hotel surveillance video that captured Ventura attempting to flee Combs while participating in one of his 'freak offs.' 'That's insanely ignorant, we have seen in the video that she tried to leave… yes women will be believed way faster than in the past, but still the abuse is not black and white,' one woman wrote on Facebook. 'Like she tried to leave the hotel? Don't be a pig, Bill,' someone else wrote. 'Until people are in a domestic violence relationship. They had no understanding of how hard it is to get out of one. It's not as easy as it seems,' another said. 'Floored by people who do not understand abusive relationships. You don't know what was actually going on. To say she stayed for the money is probably the crulest thing to say. Bill Maher is just a jerk,' someone else chimed in. 'Of course a man would make this comment. You have no idea what it is like to be in an abusive relationship and to get out of it. You need to just shut up about something you no nothing about,' someone else wrote on X. Another shared: 'Obviously, doesn't know anything about grooming, domestic violence abuse or keeping his f****** mouth shut!' The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a dedicated men's advice line on 0808 8010 327. Those in the US can call the domestic violence hotline on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Weighs In On Possible Sean 'Diddy' Combs Pardon: 'He Used To Really Like Me'
President Donald Trump responded Friday to a question about potentially pardoning Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who stands indicted on federal charges including sex trafficking. 'I haven't spoken to him in years,' Trump told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy when asked about pardoning Combs. 'He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up, from what I read. I don't know, he didn't tell me that.' 'But I'd read some … nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden,' he continued. Combs once ran in the same wealthy social circles as Trump, but was federally indicted in September on one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors in Manhattan added two charges last month of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. Surveillance footage released last May showed Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted. 'You know, it's different,' Trump said Friday. 'You become a much different person when you run for politics and you do what's right. I could do other things and I'm sure he'd like me, and I'm sure other people would like me, but it wouldn't be as good for our country.' Trump and Combs were previously seen as symbols of financial success and social status. Trump was reportedly the first major celebrity to arrive at Combs' birthday party in 1998, with their mutual respect even spawning a VIBE magazine article. Trump, then an unscrupulous real estate tycoon whose wealth had been frequently lauded in hip-hop songs since the 1980s, told the New York Daily News after Combs was charged with assault in 1999 that Combs was 'a visionary and a great talent.' Trump most recently pardoned reality TV stars and MAGA loyalists Todd and Julie Chrisley of fraud and tax evasion charges. On Friday, he resisted giving a definitive answer on whether or not he would pardon Combs. 'It's not a popularity contest, so I don't know,' he said. 'I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me, it wouldn't have any impact on me.' Trump And Putin Want To Talk Business Once The Ukraine War Ends. Here's Why It Won't Be Easy Lawrence O'Donnell Makes Bold Prediction For 'Irreversibly Stupid' Trump's Next Big Loss California Is Investigating Paramount Over Its Alleged Settlement Offer To Trump
Economic Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
How did Sean 'P Diddy' Combs become Puff Daddy? The surprising story uncovered amid his trial
Agencies Sean Combs, famously known as Puff Daddy, earned his nickname from a childhood temper habit of 'huffing and puffing.' As his high-profile sex trafficking trial continues, the origin of the name resurfaces with new significance. In the swirl of headlines surrounding the ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering trial of hip-hop tycoon Sean Combs, better known as P Diddy, a curious revelation has reemerged from the depths of pop culture memory: the eerie, almost poetic story behind his original stage name—Puff Daddy. While Combs faces intense scrutiny at a New York City courthouse, where the trial is now in its fourth week, online sleuths and fans are digging into the rapper's past, not just his legal one. And in the process, many are only now discovering the odd childhood trait that inspired the name that first catapulted him into the limelight. According to The Mirror , long before he was a chart-topping mogul, a record label founder, or the face of luxury hip-hop, young Sean Combs was just a kid with a temper. He once admitted that the nickname 'Puff' was given to him because, as a child, he would 'huff and puff' whenever he got angry. That harmless nickname eventually grew into 'Puff Daddy,' a persona that would go on to define the sound and swagger of '90s hip-hop. It was under that name that he released Can't Nobody Hold Me Down in 1997—a debut single that rocketed to number one and introduced the world to his sharp beats, unapologetic bravado, and uncanny ability to create hits. But today, as allegations of a very different kind circulate, the origin of that name—once a fun footnote in a rags-to-riches story—feels strangely unsettling. While Combs has gone by many names over the decades—P. Diddy, Diddy, even briefly just Sean—Puff Daddy remains the most iconic, a symbol of his rise in both music and pop culture. He founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, a label that would launch the careers of legends like The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase, securing Combs' place in music royalty. But in 2001, he traded Puff Daddy for P. Diddy, saying at the time he 'wanted something fresh.' That rebrand came on the heels of his own courtroom victory, having been found not guilty on charges of gun possession and bribery. Now, over two decades later, Combs finds himself back in court, facing far more serious allegations. His legal team continues to deny all claims of sex trafficking and racketeering, maintaining his innocence amid a storm of accusations and media frenzy. — nicksortor (@nicksortor) In an age where celebrity names are brands, stories, and symbols, the revelation that Puff Daddy was born from childhood rage adds an ironic twist to the saga. What once seemed like a charming anecdote about an angry boy has resurfaced in the shadow of disturbing allegations—inviting scrutiny not only of the man behind the name, but the myth that surrounded him. As the courtroom drama unfolds, so does the unraveling of a public persona built over decades. The boy who huffed and puffed his way to fame now stands in the eye of a storm that threatens to rewrite everything we thought we knew about Puff Daddy.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A 'criminal enterprise' may be emerging in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, said Combs was on a mission of revenge in December 2011 after learning rapper Kid Cudi was also dating his girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie. Combs, armed with a gun, commanded Clark to go with him to Cudi's Hollywood Hills estate, Clark testified this week during Combs' sex trafficking trial. ''Get dressed,'' Combs allegedly told Clark after beating on the door of her home. ''We're going to kill this n-----.'' Sign up for the 'Diddy on Trial' newsletter for key developments and analysis After Combs and a member of his security team broke into Cudi's home, she said, they saw he wasn't there, setting off a violent chain of events that she would tell a Bad Boy Records executive about three months later. 'I told him that Puff kidnapped me with a gun,' Clark said, referring to one of Combs' previous stage names. Clark's stunning testimony in the third week of Combs' trial provided another example of the control he allegedly wielded as head of his New York-based record label, building on the premise set forth by prosecutors that Combs allegedly oversaw a criminal enterprise that relied on employees and other accomplices to carry out illegal acts. Clark's 'testimony is certainly helpful in painting a sinister image of Combs, of his manipulation and his coercion, his control and his violence, which will be beneficial to the prosecution down the line in terms of gaining the jury's sympathies that this guy was up to no good and needs to be put away, or at least held accountable,' said Mark Chutkow, a defense lawyer who handled racketeering cases as a federal prosecutor in Detroit. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. As per the federal racketeering statute, the government must prove at least two predicate offenses, or crimes, committed via a criminal enterprise, Chutkow said. Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, spent four days on the stand in the first week of testimony, saying she 'felt trapped' into engaging in orchestrated sexual encounters, known as 'freak offs,' with male escorts at hotels and homes — sessions that she said Combs funded. Kid Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, testified how his car was firebombed in January 2012, following the December break-in at his home. Los Angeles police also testified that evidence showed the break-in was connected to Combs. The car that police observed leaving the scene of the break-in at Kid Cudi's home was registered to one of Combs' companies, according to testimony from Los Angeles police officer Chris Ignacio. Another accuser, who used the pseudonym 'Mia' on the witness stand, testified that she worked for Combs as a personal assistant for several years and he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions during that time. Combs was never charged in the firebombing or alleged sexual assaults. His defense team said in opening statements that Combs is a 'very flawed individual' prone to violence and jealousy in his relationships, but that the sexual encounters were consensual. The tangled relationships Combs had with his employees will have to be addressed by the jury during deliberations, Chutkow said, because prosecutors and defense attorneys have raised questions about whether the workers were victims, accomplices or both. For example, Clark, who testified she was paid $55,000 a year, said she set up hotel rooms for the freak-offs at Combs' direction and she sometimes procured illicit drugs on his behalf. Although she testified she was kidnapped twice by Combs or his bodyguards and subjected to multiple days of lie detector tests, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo entered into evidence an email Clark sent to Combs in September 2014, asking for his forgiveness. She did not specify what she wanted to be forgiven for. The email was sent two years after Combs fired her and about two years before she returned to work for him again. 'Mia' testified to sometimes feeling like Combs was a best friend and working partner, but other times treated her 'like I was a worthless piece of crap.' 'You do have these elements of extortion and coercion and fear and intimidation also at play, which you see in gangs and you see in the Mafia and other criminal organizations, and so I think that you don't necessarily have to have co-conspirators and accomplices that are completely voluntary in their commitment to the organization,' Chutkow said. Employees may have also realized the benefits of being in the powerful celebrity's inner circle and so may have been willing to go along, he added. 'That's why you hear the concept of a 'den of thieves,'' Chutkow said. 'They all have their own agendas at play, but they're still working together towards advancing other criminal objectives.' Chutkow said 'that's probably the way the prosecution will kind of categorize this for the jury, and say, 'Hey, we would love to be able to put on witnesses like firemen and nurses for you, but that's not the world that Combs worked in.'' Bad and illegal behavior does not necessarily guarantee a racketeering conviction, said Mark Zauderer, a veteran trial and appellate lawyer in New York. 'There is lots of evidence of violence and possible criminal activity,' he said of Combs' trial. 'But all of that still does not answer the question of whether the jury will find an enterprise and a conspiracy. 'There's no question that a jury can and will consider a so-called victim's own complicity in the matters that were violent and even illegal.' Attorney Rachel Maimin, a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, said that while racketeering charges can be complex, prosecutors can sometimes prove the charge with only one witness or even circumstantial evidence. 'I don't know if they've met all of the elements of racketeering yet, but prosecutors are showing that Diddy used employees from his business and organization to carry out criminal activities,' Maimin said. 'They're linking the crimes to his business.' If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233), or go to for more. States often have domestic violence hotlines as well. This article was originally published on
