May 5, 2025

Monday 5/5 Day 1. Calm in the Chaos

Show Notes
Transcript

The trial begins. Jury selection is underway in the explosive federal sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. In this debut episode, host Bob Oliver breaks down the opening moments of the courtroom drama—from Diddy’s surprisingly calm and stylish entrance to the chilling allegations laid out by prosecutors. With key witnesses like Cassie Ventura expected to testify, and surveillance footage potentially entering the record, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Diddy Do It? starts here—unfiltered, unflinching, and following every twist in the trial of a music mogul accused of unthinkable crimes.

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WEBVTT

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Good morning. It's Monday, May fifth, and this is Diddy.

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Do it your daily ride through the high stakes trial

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of Sean Ditty Combs, music mogul, cultural icon, and now

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defendant in one of the most closely watched sex trafficking

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cases in years. I'm your host, and for the next

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eight minutes or so, we're diving deep into everything that's

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happening inside and outside that Manhattan Federal courtroom. Jury selection

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begins today. But if you were expecting panic, protest, or

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even a hint of worry on Ditty's face, think again.

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According to courtroom observers, the fifty four year old Bad

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Boy founder walked in looking calm, composed, and dare we

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say preppy. Wearing a sleek beige V neck sweater over

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a crisp white shirt, tailored khaki trousers and spotless sneakers,

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Combs appeared more country club than courtroom. No prison jumpsuit here,

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no shackles. He even flashed a few polite smiles to

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the room before settling in next to his life legal team.

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It's a look that says I've got this under control,

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even if the charges suggest otherwise, and those charges are

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nothing short of explosive. The United States government has brought

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a sweeping indictment against Combs that includes sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy,

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and illegally transporting individuals for prostitution. According to federal prosecutors,

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this wasn't just some ced side hustle. They alleged that,

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for more than a decade did he operated what amounts

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to a criminal enterprise, one that used his celebrity status, power,

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and massive financial resources to lure, control, and exploit vulnerable women.

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The court documents paint a dark portrait of life inside

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the Comb's empire. The prosecution says women were groomed under

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the pretense of romantic relationships, coerced into sex acts, and

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transported across state and even international borders. Some were allegedly drugged,

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others were threatened. All were disposable once they were no

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longer us useful in the government's telling. And while names

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of the victims remain sealed for now, we already know

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that singer Cassie Ventura, Ditty's former longtime girlfriend, will be

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a key witness. Her earlier lawsuit, which was settled out

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of court, laid out disturbing claims of physical abuse and coercion,

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and now, according to sources, she's prepared to testify under oath.

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As the courtroom gears up for what's expected to be

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an eight week trial, Ditty's defense team is leaning hard

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into one strategy, dismantling the credibility of the witnesses. They

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argue that every encounter in question was fully consensual, that

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the accusers are motivated by money or bitterness, that the

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prosecution has cherry picked texts, photos, and video clips out

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of context to fit a sensationalist narrative, and that Ditty,

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while certainly no saint, is being crucified for his lifestyle,

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not for any crime. But make no mistake, the government's

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case isn't resting on he said she said alone. Prosecutors

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are expected to present surveillance footage allegedly showing Comb's assaulting

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Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel. That clip, which briefly

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surfaced online before being pulled down, has already fueled public backlash.

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If it's admitted as evidence, it could sway even the

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most neutral jurors, And speaking of jurors, finding twelve unbiased

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citizens to weigh this case might be harder than it sounds.

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Nearly everyone in that courtroom today knows who did he is.

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From his early days at Uptown Records to his chart

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topping hits, clothing lines, vodka deals, and reality TV appearances,

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Sean Combs has been everywhere. He dated Jennifer Lopez, survived

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a nightclub shooting, and danced across stages with Biggie and Maze.

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He's more than famous, He's ingrained in pop culture, which

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is exactly what makes this trial so volatile. Some potential

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jurors have already disclosed personal experiences with sexual abuse. Others

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admitted that followed the news coverage closely. Still, the judge

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insists that impartiality is possible and the selection process could

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take the better part of a week. Once the final

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twelve and six alternates are in place, opening statements are

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expected to begin May twelfth. More in a moment, Now,

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let's zoom out for a second. This trial isn't just

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about one man's guilt or innocence. It's about power, influence,

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and how far the culture has or hasn't come when

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it comes to holding the elite accountable. In the wake

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of the Me Too movement, there's been a reckoning across media, politics,

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and tech, but the music industry, it's largely dodged the

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spotlight until now. Diddy's arrest last fall came after a

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series of coordinated raids on his homes in Los Angeles

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and Miami. Federal agents seized electronics, documents, and what one

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source described as a digital gold mine potential evidence. Since then,

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at least five other individuals have come forward with civil

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complaints alleging everything from sexual battery to emotional torment, and

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while those cases are separate, they hover like a storm

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cloud over this one. If the prosecution can tie any

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of it together, the dominoes start to fall. Still, the

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tabloids aren't letting go of the fashion angle. The Daily

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Mail ran a headline this morning about how did he

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ditched the prison uniform for a preppy look, as though

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this were a Vogue shoot rather than a federal trial,

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and look, we get it. Image matters. Combs has spent

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his life crafting one, from the shiny suits and champagne

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to the carefully curated Instagram photos. Even now, in the

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face of some of the most serious allegations imaginable, he's

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still controlling the narrative, right down to the shoes on

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his feet. But control only goes so far when you're

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sitting at the defense table. Today is just the beginning,

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and if the early court room energy is any clue,

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this is going to be a roller coaster. Combs is

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fighting for his freedom, his empire, and his legacy. The

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prosecutors are fighting for justice and for the women who

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say they were used, discarded, and silenced. Tomorrow, we'll bring

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you the inside details from day one of jury selection.

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Who's in, who's out, and what questions are being asked

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to weed out bias. Will also dig into new developments

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as they unfold, whether it's leaked evidence, bombshell testimony, or

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more headline grabbing fashion choices from the man at the

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center of it all. That's all for today on Diddy

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Do It, where the courtroom is the stage and truth

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is the headline. I'm Nate Oliver. Stay tuned and stay sharp.