As the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off in New York City, observers were surprised to hear the names of numerous other celebrities mentioned during jury selection.
When potential jurors were questioned starting May 5, they were asked about their familiarity with stars like Kanye West and former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard. While some of these people have previously worked with Diddy, it was not immediately clear why other names, like actor and comedian Mike Myers, were included on the list.
As jury selection continued into May 6, Judge Arun Subramanian revised his line of questioning to ask whether potential jurors “personally know” any of the celebrities mentioned. (He had previously asked whether they were “familiar” with the names on the list.)
Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all of the allegations against him.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement at the time. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Since his arrest, Diddy has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His four requests for bail were denied by Judge Subramanian.
Keep scrolling for a list of every celebrity whose name has been mentioned during the Diddy trial:
Michael B. Jordan
The actor previously dated Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie. When Cassie sued Diddy in November 2023, her relationship with Jordan was referenced in the lawsuit. Diddy and Cassie settled the lawsuit out of court, and Diddy denied all her allegations.
Jordan’s name was mentioned on May 15 during Cassie’s testimony. She said she began dating him in 2015 after discovering that Diddy was allegedly spending time with one of his on-off girlfriends while she was filming a movie in South Africa. As a result, Cassie halted communication with Diddy and moved on with the Sinners actor. She also told the jury that one of Diddy’s staff members informed her that the musician knew about her relationship with Jordan. (Jordan and Cassie’s relationship did not last, as she married husband Alex Fine in 2019.)
Harve Pierre
Pierre is a record exec who has worked with Diddy’s label, Bad Boy Entertainment. In her testimony on May 19, Richard claimed that Pierre was one of several Diddy employees who witnessed him abusing Cassie during their relationship.
Mike Myers
Myers’ inclusion on the list remains a mystery, but USA Today noted that there is a reference to Diddy in one of the comedian’s Austin Powers movies.
Dallas Austin
Austin, a record producer, previously dated Diddy’s late partner Kim Porter, who died in 2018 at age 47.
Dawn Richard
Richard was a member of the girl group Danity Kane, which formed on Diddy’s Making the Band reality TV show in 2005. She sued Diddy for sexual assault and battery in September 2024, shortly before his arrest. Diddy denied her allegations in a statement via his lawyer Erica Wolff, who said, “Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit. In an attempt to rewrite history, Dawn Richard has now manufactured a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a pay day — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.”
Richard’s case is still ongoing. She testified in court on May 16 and May 19, claiming she witnessed Diddy physically abuse Cassie on multiple occasions.
Michelle Williams
Jurors were asked about the Destiny’s Child singer on the first day of jury selection.
Kanye West
The controversial rapper released a song with Diddy in March, months after his arrest.
Kid Cudi
The rapper, who dated Cassie during a break in her relationship with Diddy, was also mentioned in Cassie’s lawsuit. According to Cassie, Diddy became “so angry” when he found out she was dating Cudi in 2012. “Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway,” read her lawsuit. Cudi’s spokesperson told The New York Times in November 2023 that Cassie’s account of the exploding car was “all true.”
Diddy, meanwhile, denied Cassie’s accusations in a statement provided by his attorney.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” lawyer Ben Brafman said at the time. “For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail. Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
During her testimony on May 14, Cassie claimed that Diddy was “irate” when he learned of her relationship with Cudi. After learning about her connection to the rapper, Diddy allegedly lunged at her with a “wine bottle opener.” Following the alleged incident, Cassie ran out and called Cudi from her burner phone, asking him to pick her up. When she returned to a hotel room where she was staying, the space had allegedly been trashed, with urine and feces found in the bathroom and the furniture in disarray.
Cassie
Cassie, who dated Diddy off and on from 2007 to 2018, testified in the trial from May 13 through May 16. CNN’s 2024 video that showed Diddy assaulting her in a hotel in 2016 will be shown to jurors, who were asked whether they had seen the footage during selection.
Laurieann Gibson
The choreographer worked with Diddy on Making the Band as well as his short-lived TV show P. Diddy’s Starmaker. During her testimony on May 19, Richard said she once reached out to Diddy after leaving his label because she was trying to reconnect with Gibson. According to Richard, Gibson advised her to connect with Diddy first.
Lauren London
The actress has said that Diddy was a great source of support for her after the 2019 death of her longtime partner, Nipsey Hussle.
Usher
In her May 19 testimony, Richard claimed Usher and other Diddy associates were present on one occasion when Diddy allegedly punched Cassie in the stomach at a restaurant in 2010. “She immediately bent over, [Diddy] told her to leave,” Richard alleged. “No one intervened.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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