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Diddy lawsuits came after these New York laws opened the door
Diddy denies 1991 assault claims; legal team responds
A California woman has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of allegedly drugging and assaulting her when she was a college student in 1991.
unbranded – Entertainment
New York’s highly cited Adult Survivors Act, which gave victims of sexual abuse a one-year window for claims that would otherwise be barred by time limits, is a key factor in the civil lawsuits filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The act, which expired in November 2023, led to an avalanche of complaints and lawsuits filed in its final days, with figures including Combs and his former Bad Boy president Harve Pierre, Jamie Foxx, Axl Rose, Russell Brand, Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, music executive L.A. Reid, Cuba Gooding Jr. and more sued for sexual assault ahead of the deadline.
More than 2,500 lawsuits were filed under the law. And not all of the suits were against entertainment figures; the large majority were filed against the state of New York, New York City and local counties and involved allegations of abuse at state prisons and local jail systems.
Over a dozen were filed by Wigdor LLP, a New York-based law firm, partner Douglas Wigdor previously told USA TODAY. The attorney behind Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit against Combs, a woman’s lawsuit against Iovine and Julia Ormond’s suit against Harvey Weinstein, Wigdor said one reason so many lawsuits against people in the entertainment industry came out in the last few days of the law was because of the publicity Ventura’s case had received.
“I think that our case, involving Sean Combs, really got a lot of publicity. And people read about the Adult Survivors Act, and I think that provided impetus for people to come forward even though there were only a few days to do so,” he told USA TODAY in a November 2023 interview. “And so, my hope is that at some point, they’ll extend the ASA again, which is a possibility. And so that way other people can come forward.”
He said at the time that public perception could change the entertainment industry in response to credible sexual misconduct claims.
“With at least Cassie’s case, from what I observed, she received almost uniform support for coming forward,” Wigdor said. “When someone has evidence and support and a story that resonates as being truthful, the public is very receptive to holding people accountable for these heinous acts.”
Combs has denied all the allegations against him, and he’s pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
What is the Adult Survivors Act?
The act, signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 24, 2022, was modeled after a previous New York law offering people abused as children a temporary window to file claims. Under the new iteration, adults were able to file a lawsuit against their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred.
Wigdor said similar laws – including New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence Act, which had a look-back period that expired in February 2025, and California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, for claims occurring between 2009 and 2019, and expires in 2026 – could be another means for victims to receive justice.
Wigdor shared hope that similar laws would be enacted in other cities and states, such as Washington, D.C. “I don’t think politicians should be immune from these sorts of cases,” he said.
One of the first Adult Survivors Act cases filed after the window opened was against former President Donald Trump. His accuser, writer E. Jean Carroll, was awarded $5 million after Trump was found liable for the 1996 sexual abuse. Trump has denied the allegation.
What is the Gender Motivated Violence Act?
New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence Act allows survivors of gender-based violence to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers or those who facilitated the abuse, if the incident occurred in New York City. The typical timeframe to file a claim is nine years from the time of abuse, but in December 2022, a two-year “lookback window” was introduced.
Lawsuits under the act had a deadline of Feb. 28, 2025.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs hit with lawsuits under Adult Survivors Act, Gender Motivated Violence Act
The first lawsuit filed against Combs under the Adult Survivors Act and the Gender Motivated Violence Act was from R&B singer Cassie.
The November 2023 lawsuit alleged that Cassie, who began a professional and sexual relationship with the rap mogul when she was 19, was trafficked, raped and viciously beaten by Combs over the course of a decade.
Combs and Cassie reached a settlement one day later.
A second lawsuit was filed by Joi Dickerson-Neal under both acts less than a week later, on Nov. 23, 2023. The lawsuit alleges that the then-college student was sexually assaulted and abused by Combs in 1991 and that she was the victim of “revenge porn.” Combs videotaped the January 1991 assault and distributed the tape to others in the music industry, according to the suit.
A third lawsuit was filed the same day under the Adult Survivors Act, by a woman now identified as Liza Gardner, who claimed Combs and Guy singer Aaron Hall took turns raping her and a friend after meeting the pair at an MCA Records event in either 1990 or 1991, when she was 16 years old.
The fourth lawsuit filed against Combs, as well as Bad Boy Entertainment and its former president, Harve Pierre in December 2023, was under the Gender Motivated Violence Act. Pierre, who worked with Bad Boy since its inception in 1993, was accused by a former employee – now identified as Anna Kane – of using “his position of authority” as her boss “to groom, exploit, and sexually assault her.”
Many of the other nearly 70 civil lawsuits filed against Combs now also cite the Gender Motivated Violence Act.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
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Netflix’s ‘Nonnas,’ ‘The Pitt,’ John Wick doc
Joe Manganiello explains why he had to hit the gym for film ‘Nonnas’
Joe Manganiello tells USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa why he had to hit the gym while filming his latest movie, “Nonnas,” which is streaming on Netflix.
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Moms rule.
No, really. With Mother’s Day upon us, it’s time to shout out matriarchs everywhere and celebrate the joy they’ve brought to us. (For much of my childhood, my mom was straight up my best friend and mostly encouraged my pop culture loves – though she wasn’t too sure about the pro wrestling or Stephen King books!)
The new Netflix dramedy “Nonnas” is a perfect watch for this weekend, with Vince Vaughn as a dude who starts a restaurant with Italian grandmothers as his chefs. If your mom digs TV, why not share with her one of the many, many medical shows on TV? And if your mom loves action flicks and/or Keanu Reeves by chance? Well, there’s a new “John Wick” documentary out – and also, your mom is crazy cool.
Now on to the good stuff:
See Joe Manganiello celebrate Italian food and grandmas in ‘Nonnas’
Netflix’s new “Nonnas” is a celebration of moms, grandmas and scrumptious food, with Vince Vaughn starring as a man who honors his beloved Italian mom after her death by opening a family-friendly eatery. Joe Manganiello, who plays the best friend of Vaughn’s character, said that huge meals were just a part of the filmmaking process. “For the whole movie, three or four times a week, I’m at home after these giant meals in my hotel room, just staring at the ceiling, just trying to breathe. Then, off to Crunch gym in Hoboken the next day to try to work it all off,” the actor tells my pal Ralphie Aversa in a wide-ranging interview.
“Nonnas” is just one of several new movies hitting streaming services this month. And, yep, you guessed it, I rounded up a guide full of ’em. (Pro tip: Get on “Black Bag” ASAP. ‘Tis a banger.)
Stream ‘The Pitt’ and the best medical TV shows ever
In case you weren’t aware, medical TV dramas are back in vogue. Max’s “The Pitt” has proven to be a popular, real-time binge (think “24” with a lot more stress and ventilators) but there’s also a bunch of other new shows like “Watson,” “Pulse,” “Doc” and my personal guilty favorite, “Doctor Odyssey.” Where else are you going to find shark attacks, medical love triangles AND Hot Tub Week?
TV critic Kelly Lawler wrote an essay about why we’re so obsessed yet again with doctor shows, writing that “they’ve showed up at the right time to heal ailing viewers.” She also put together a ranking of the best medical TV series ever – “Grey’s Anatomy” is somehow above “St. Elsewhere” and “The Knick” but folks do love that soapy bunch at Seattle Grace!
Revisit the making of Keanu Reeves’ ‘John Wick’ movies with ‘Wick Is Pain’
“John Wick” is one of the coolest franchise success stories in recent years, taking an original idea (ex-hitman gets forced out of retirement when some baddies kill his dog) and creating a deep and expansive neo-noir mythology. Not to mention it revived Keanu Reeves’ movie-star career, plus has given us some awesome and unforgettable action-movie sequences.
The new documentary “Wick Is Pain” chronicles the behind-the-scenes journey of the franchise, including how tumultuous the making of the 2014 original “Wick” was. I talked with Reeves and director Chad Stahelski about the intriguing revelations in the film, from stuntwork and the physical toll “Wick” has taken on its star to the key moment where a tearful John holds his murdered puppy. “To have that moment of grief was really fun for me to play,” Reeves says.
Even more goodness to check out!
- Lewis Pullman has a breakout role in Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” (aka “The New Avengers”) and he’s hoping to share screen time with Robert Downey Jr. in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
- A couple of cops are leaving “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”: Octavio Pisano and Juliana Aidén Martinez are off duty following the season finale.
- More “Yellowstone,” y’all! Luke Grimes is heading up the new “Marshals” spinoff.
- Tina Fey spills on how original “The Four Seasons” star Alan Alda was recruited for a cameo in the Netflix remake.
- Amy Poehler is reuniting with her “Parks and Recreation” boss Mike Schur for a new show.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I’m @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
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What we know about release, trailer
Duolingo and Netflix want ‘Squid Game’ fans to learn Korean…or else
Duolingo joined Netflix for a new campaign to help fans learn Korean ahead of the new season of “Squid Game.”
“Squid Game” fans awoke to a scintillating and suspenseful new look at the show’s third season earlier this week.
In a new trailer, released May 5, beloved characters return after Season 2’s violent cliff-hanger. Back to battle once again for their lives and a giant cash prize, the wordless preview sees contestants facing a series of high-stakes situations, involving guns, fists and an ominous giant gumball machine.
The viral dystopic show, which centers around main character Seong Gi-hun or Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), has delighted fans since its 2021 premiere, combining classic thriller elements with a deeper exploration of the human capacity for evil and the perils of an unequal society.
What did the ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 trailer reveal?
The new trailer reveals that Gi-Hun, after attempting to take down the creators in Season 2 and nearly paying with his life, is back in the games.
In a description of the trailer, Netflix wrote that he “will be forced to make some important choices in the face of overwhelming despair as he and the surviving players are thrust into deadlier games that test everyone’s resolve.”
Season 2’s finale also revealed In-Ho (Lee Byung-hun), or Player 001, to be the Front Man, who entered the games posing as an ordinary player. In-Ho also returns, serving as a foil for Gi-Hun’s conscience.
“Will Gi-hun make the right decisions, or will Front Man finally break his spirit?” the trailer’s description teases. The preview also ends with a baby’s cry, offering yet another possible plot clue.
Why did Season 3 of ‘Squid Game’ come so quickly?
While fans waited anxiously for Season 2 after a mid-pandemic release of Season 1, Season 3 is arriving on Netflix more swiftly.
This is because Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed back-to-back, resulting in a short six-month wait compared to the three-year hiatus between the first two seasons.
When is the ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 release date?
The third and final installment of the series, Netflix’s biggest global hit, will premiere on June 27.
How to watch ‘Squid Game’ Season 3
The third season of “Squid Game” will be available for streaming only on Netflix.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
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‘3 Doors Down’, Brad Arnold and the rise of cancer in young people
Brad Arnold, the lead vocalist for 3 Doors Down, revealed this week on May 7 that he’s been diagnosed with advanced stage kidney cancer.
“I’ve got some not-so-good news for you today,” Arnold, 46, said in an Instagram video. “So, I’d been sick a couple of weeks ago and then went to the hospital and got checked out and had actually got the diagnosis that I had clear cell renal carcinoma that had metastasized into my lung. And it’s stage 4, and that’s not real good.”
Young celebrity after celebrity have recently announced they have (or had) cancer. James Van Der Beek. Jenna Fischer. Olivia Munn. Princess Kate. Elle Macpherson. The list goes on.
What’s going on? There’s no exact cause known for the rise in cancers among young people, according to experts, but researchers are trying to figure it out. The best bet for a health-conscious person is fine-tuning diet and exercise routines, staying up-to-date on screenings, listening to your body and going to regular doctor’s appointments.
Screenings will vary by age group. But given the higher incidence rate in young people, would that mean earlier screenings may be necessary? “We’re not, at this point, recommending that everybody who’s 30 go out and get screening tests,” Dr. John Marshall, director of The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancers at Georgetown University, previously told USA TODAY. “But what we are recommending is that when people do have symptoms, that they don’t write it off as other things.”
‘Out of the blue’
When Marshall – a self-described “old oncologist” – first started his career, no one under the age of 50 sat down in his clinic. Now they make up about half his patients. A significant portion are in their 30s and 40s, mostly with colon cancer.
“Most of these people are in fact, very healthy, very conscious of what they eat,” he said. “They’re exercise people, they’re the ‘right weight,’ and no family history for these cancers, and it’s kind of out of the blue.”
He’s not alone. “In my own practice I have seen, and statistically we have seen nationwide,” Dr. Emil Lou, professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota previously told USA TODAY, “a stunning rise in cases that we now refer to as ‘early onset’ or ‘young adult’ cancers, generally defined as occurring in individuals younger than 50 years of age.”
What health & wellness means for you: Sign up for USA TODAY’s Keeping It Together newsletter.
A leading theory behind this incidence uptick is all the changes to our microbiome over time – the environment, air, water, etc. “A lot of folks suspect that there’s early life exposures that may have something to do with either our water supply or our food supply,” Dr. Mohamed Abazeed, co-leader of the Lung Cancer Program in the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern University, also previously told USA TODAY.
Marshall wondered: Is it our water quality? Is it food processing? All these factors have potential consequences for our health, beyond cancer. But cancer is drawing attention given its grave nature.
‘It could have spread’
Perhaps if people routinely visited their primary care physician, they could catch diseases before they develop or spread. More than three-quarters of Americans put off important health check-ups, according to a recent Aflac Wellness Matters Survey. It’s higher for millennials at 84%.
For those eligible for health screenings like a colonoscopy, physicians could catch and remove precancerous polyps in addition to checking for cancer already present.
Jenna Fischer, 50, said in an Instagram post sharing her breast cancer journey: “My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.”
Treat your symptoms ‘seriously’
Of course, it’s critical to think about data in context. People have been less likely to die from cancer over the last few decades despite the increasing incidence rate.
Still, Marshall cautioned both patients and medical professionals to not brush away concerning symptoms just because someone is young. Don’t send a 30-year-old with rectal bleeding away assuming it’s a hemorrhoid; if that person was 60 or 70, you wouldn’t immediately rule out colon cancer.
Lou added: “Ultimately, knowing your body and trusting your intuition if you feel something is wrong is important to recognize at any age. If you report your symptoms to a medical care team and don’t feel that you are being heard, then be persistent and seek out additional opinions.”
The short of it: If you experience dietary or weight changes or a shift in bowel habits that lasts for weeks? Go to the doctor. “That’s generally the way these things show up,” Marshall said, “sort of vague, early symptoms that don’t seem to go away. Treat them seriously.”
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Joe Manganiello’s girlfriend has an Instagram page for his dog
Joe Manganiello explains why he had to hit the gym for film ‘Nonnas’
Joe Manganiello tells USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa why he had to hit the gym while filming his latest movie, “Nonnas,” which is streaming on Netflix.
NEW YORK − While filming the movie “Nonnas,” Joe Manganiello stayed in Hoboken, New Jersey. He settled into a routine there, from his favorite coffee shops to his dog-walking route. The actor also became familiar with his local gym, thanks to the cast dinners he indulged in.
“We’re out at some Italian restaurant eating giant meals,” Manganiello, 48, recalls to USA TODAY, noting that chefs would send out appetizers on the house. “Nobody’s eating it all because they’re trying to fit into their costumes. So there’s all this food leftover and all the actresses are like reverting to character and going, ‘Here, honey, eat it.’ And pushing it to me, like I’m the kid.”
Manganiello obliged his elders. “Nonnas” (streaming now on Netflix) is based on the true story of Enoteca Maria, a restaurant in Staten Island that employees “nonnas” (Italian for grandmother) as chefs. In the film, Vince Vaughn takes on the role of the restaurant’s owner, Joe, and Manganiello plays his best friend, Bruno. The grandmothers are portrayed by Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro and Talia Shire. In real life, they’re all old enough to be Manganiello’s mother.
“For the whole movie, three or four times a week, I’m at home after these giant meals in my hotel room, just staring at the ceiling, just trying to breathe,” he says. “Then, off to Crunch gym in Hoboken the next day to try to work it all off.”
Joe Manganiello’s dog is a social media star, thanks to his girlfriend
A few guests join Manganiello for the interview. His girlfriend, actress and host Caitlin O’Connor, sits off-camera. The actor’s chihuahua Bubbles rests comfortably on his lap. Manganiello rescued Bubbles from Dogs Without Borders six years ago. It’s his first pet.
“The first time I held a dog in my lap was her,” he says of Bubbles, who came into his life when the actor was still married to Sofia Vergara. They split in 2023 after seven years of marriage. “She wanted me to pick her up like right away. It was the universe telling me it was time to have a dog.”
Bubbles has come a long way literally and figuratively since then: The chihuahua overcame a number of health complications, including cancer. Now she travels the world with Manganiello and O’Connor.
“I swore I was never going to do an Instagram account for the dog, I wasn’t going to be that guy,” he says. “But my girlfriend started one. And so she posts and she’s doing a great job.”
Both O’Connor and Bubbles joined Manganiello at the “Nonnas” premiere. On Instagram, the couple’s attire had fans doing a double take, thinking it was a wedding photo.
“Traditionally, the guy doesn’t hold the wedding bouquet,” says Manganiello, referencing Bubbles, which was in his arms and could be mistaken at a glance as a bouquet of flowers. “Traditionally, the guy isn’t holding a five-pound chihuahua, either.”
Joe Manganiello honored his great-grandmother with Capitol Hill speech
Manganiello is an Italian last name, but the actor is also of Armenian descent. His maternal great-grandmother survived the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
In April, the actor traveled to Washington to give a speech for the Armenian Assembly of America. His purpose was to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the genocide and advocate for the release of 23 hostages detained in Azerbaijan.
“I felt like my great-grandmother would’ve been proud of what I did,” Manganiello says of his trip to meet with lawmakers. “But it was also very difficult emotionally to drum (those memories) up.”
While President Joe Biden formally recognized the genocide in 2021, Manganiello says the recent conflict with Azerbaijan has Armenians “worried that they’re being left out to the wolves.”
“I don’t think any of the survivors would’ve thought that any of their stories would be told a century later,” he says of his great-grandmother and others. “I really feel like it’s my obligation to speak about what she went through. I meet Armenians all over the world who stop me and thank me for speaking up. So I know that it means something.”
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'Nonnas' star Joe Manganiello explains why he hit the gym for new filmEntertain This!
‘Nonnas’ star Joe Manganiello explains why he hit the gym for new filmEntertain This!
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Fox News pundit Camryn Kinsey faints live on ‘Fox News @ Night’
Fox News’ Peter Doocy’s hair is an easy target for White House birds
Fox News’ Peter Doocy has unlucky streak of birds crashing his live reports.
A Fox News broadcast took a frightful turn when a host collapsed live on air.
During a “Fox News @ Night” segment May 8 discussing recent remarks from former President Joe Biden, political commentator Camryn Kinsey appeared to lose her train of thought before slipping from consciousness and falling from her chair.
“This is about incompetency, it’s not about uh, uh, ideology,” she said, referencing recent comments made by Biden suggesting his successor Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election due to sexism in the Republican party.
The “uhs” continued as she struggled to find her words, then she collapsed from her chair, falling to the studio floor.
Host Jonathan Hunt reacted with surprise as crew members ran out to help, saying: “Oh my goodness, we’re just going to get some help here for Camryn.”
He then attempted to throw the segment back to another commentator before, clearly flustered, deciding instead to go to commercial break.
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While neither Kinsey nor Fox has yet revealed the cause of her fall, Hunt did assure viewers after the commercial break that she had regained consciousness.
“We want to give you a quick update. Camryn is up and moving,” he told viewers. “We have paramedics checking her. We will keep you updated. We wish her all the best.”
Fox echoed that sentiment in a statement shared with USA TODAY May 9.
“After ‘Fox News @ Night’ guest Camryn Kinsey fainted during a live on-air appearance last night in our Los Angeles bureau, paramedics were called and she was treated and cleared,” a Fox News spokesperson wrote. “We are happy to hear she is now feeling much better and wish her a speedy recovery.”
Kinsey, who appears sometimes as a political pundit on Fox, briefly served as the external relations director in the White House presidential personnel office under President Donald Trump.
Serving for six months during Trump’s first term, she went on to work as a White House correspondent and reporter at One America News Network, a far-right political news channel.
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Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert debut song ‘Trailblazer’
The 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards highlighted many generations of mainstream artists who have honored the tradition of extending the genre’s legacy of female superstardom, from Patsy Cline to Lainey Wilson.
The most profound moment in this lineage could be represented by the song “Trailblazer,” a collaboration by Wilson – 2024 and 2025 ACM entertainer of the year – alongside the ACM’s most award-winning artist, Miranda Lambert, and the event’s 17-time host, Reba McEntire.
The trio, introduced by Rita Wilson, took the stage wearing coordinating brown outfits adorned with turquoise accents. Wilson and Lambert were also in cowgirl hats.
The song, penned by Lambert and Wilson alongside award-winning singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, debuted at Thursday evening’s ACM Awards broadcast on Prime Video.
‘We talk how we talk, and we are who we are’
“It’s time to really do our heroes justice. We’re just trying to make Loretta, Patsy and everyone else proud,” Wilson said backstage, regarding the song.
“We talk how we talk and we are who we are – that’s inspiring.”
McEntire said Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton have helped inspire and fuel the careers of her and many others.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years,” said the “Fancy” vocalist in a May 2025 Tennessean interview, part of the USA TODAY Network. “Family, fans and friends provide love and acceptance. Whether at home washing dishes or on stage in front of 70,000 people at the Houston Rodeo, it’s always important to be grateful and thankful for the love and acceptance of the people who helped and supported your dreams and career.”
A song for all women: ‘Trailblazer’
The lyrics of “Trailblazer” honor each performer’s career with particular notes highlighting Lambert’s 2005 hit “Kerosene,” plus McEntire and Wilson’s home states of Oklahoma and Louisiana.
“We wanted to lean in pretty hard to paying tribute to each person. We had to do it strategically though, because we didn’t want it to be so blatant – but more like a secret thing that you would have to listen to it twice,” Lambert said to Billboard.
Wilson added: “I remember thinking that this could be a song that a grandmother and a daughter and a grandchild could listen to. And not just about the history of country music … If we’re not thinking about the people we’re singing to then they’re not going to be able to relate.”
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Jury to be finalized in rapper’s sex-crimes case
Final jury selections are expected to be made in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing criminal trial as opening statements near.
After a brief recess in the high-profile legal proceeding, attorneys for the embattled hip-hop mogul and prosecutors returned to court on May 9 to select the jurors who will serve in Combs’ case. This comes after the jury pool was narrowed to 45 candidates across three days of intense questioning from the prosecution, defense and Judge Arun Subramanian.
Six women and five men were given the green light on May 7 after lawyers and the judge interviewed 22 candidates.
Their age bracket ranging from mid-20s to early 70s, the group represents a varied cross-section of society, with one juror working as a graphic designer and another in administration at the counterterrorism office of the United Nations.
Attorneys on both sides are now tasked with whittling down the selected jury to 12 final jurors who will sit for the trial alongside six alternates. During the interview process, prospective jurors were repeatedly asked if they, a family member or a friend had been a victim of sexual assault, sexual harassment or domestic violence, and whether they or a loved one had been charged or accused of such crimes.
Ahead of the trial’s kickoff on May 5, Combs, 55, confirmed he turned down a potential plea deal in the case during a final pretrial hearing on May 2.
Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
Diddy high school alumnus, ‘sleep-deprived’ Star Wars fan admitted to jury pool
A potential juror who attended the same high school as Combs was moved into the approved pool on May 7 after being questioned about their social media habits. The individual and Combs graduated 30 years apart.
Combs’ defense referenced a meme that implied the potential juror may have interacted with on social media, but the juror chalked this up to “doomscrolling” and “mindlessly swiping.” When the judge asked the juror if they had seen things while “doomscrolling” that might make them biased against Combs, they said no.
Another potential juror, questioned for about 25 minutes, continually sighed and trailed off in his speech. Judge Subramanian noted that the man neglected to fill out all the questions on his juror questionnaire. The potential juror explained that he was tired and “lazy” after binge-watching the new Star Wars series “Andor.”
Although federal prosecutors said the man was “meandering” and were worried about his “own personal discipline” if he was selected for the trial, Subramanian said none of his answers warranted a dismissal. He did, though, call the juror “sleep deprived.”
Potential juror who knows Diddy trial judge dismissed
One potential juror had an obvious conflict of interest: he was friendly with Judge Subramanian after serving as his co-counsel in several cases, meaning they previously represented clients together. They have known each other for about 10 years.
When the potential juror walked in, Subramanian amiably asked him: “What is your opinion of the judge in this case?” The prospective juror responded, “He is fair, he is gregarious and he is brilliant.”
One of the prosecutors said she was worried he would have an “outsize influence on other jurors” because of his position. He was dismissed.
Judge admonishes lawyer for racial remarks
The judge overseeing Combs’ sex-trafficking trial admonished a lawyer close to the hip-hop mogul’s defense team for referring to the prosecutors in the case as a “six-pack of white women” in comments on a podcast.
The lawyer, Mark Geragos, said in a May 2 episode of “Two Angry Men,” a podcast he co-hosts with TMZ founder Harvey Levin, that the racial and gender composition of the six-member prosecution team was “interesting.” Geragos said race may be an “undercurrent” at the trial but would not be a focus of Combs’ defense.
“That’s something that you shouldn’t, that no one should be saying as an officer of the Court and a member of the bar,” Judge Subramanian told Geragos in a private conversation in his robing room on May 6 before jury selection resumed, according to a trial transcript.
“Referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous,” said the judge, who is of South Asian descent.
Is Mark Geragos one of Diddy’s lawyers?
No, Mark Geragos, the famed attorney who has represented prominent people ranging from Michael Jackson to the Menendez brothers, isn’t officially part of Combs’ legal team.
His daughter, Teny Geragos, is serving on Combs’ defense. Mark Geragos has been seen in the courtroom since jury selection started earlier in the week.
Prosecutors called out his presence in a letter to Judge Subramanian, accusing Combs’ defense of trying to consult with the longtime lawyer and saying he should abide by the rules set for attorneys in the case if he’s working with Combs.
Mark Geragos has denied his involvement, saying in a statement to CNN, “I’m here to support my daughter. (Combs) is a friend.”
Lawyer representing multiple accusers weighs in on jury selection
Lisa Bloom, an attorney representing two accusers in civil cases against Combs and one in his criminal case, pointed to the “sad” number of potential jurors who have told the court they or a loved one is a sexual assault survivor.
Jurors have repeatedly been asked about sexual assault and harassment due to the nature of Combs’ case, and almost all have said they have some personal connection to the crimes. “It’s still quite a large number,” Bloom told NewsNation’s “Banfield.” “And if you break it down to the female jurors, even larger.”
Bloom is representing Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, a prominent Combs collaborator who accused him of physical and sexual abuse in a 2024 lawsuit.
Richard claimed the producer stole her work, withheld payment and subjected her to “inhumane” working conditions, which included assault, groping and false imprisonment, for nearly a decade. Combs’ attorney denied the allegations at the time the lawsuit was filed.
Why is Diddy on trial?
Combs is facing federal sex crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling suit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
His indictment emerged alongside dozens of separate civil suits suggesting a pattern of abusive behavior and exploitation spanning decades, including accusations of rape, sexual assault and physical violence.
How long will Diddy’s trial be?
Now that all parties have agreed on the 45-member jury pool, the prosecution and defense will spend May 8-9 finalizing the jury and preparing for opening statements, which begin May 12.
Is Diddy in jail?
Despite repeated attempts at bail, Combs was ordered to remain in custody at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of trial — a ruling his legal team has challenged in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He’s been jailed since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.
How can I watch Diddy’s trial?
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.
Gray hair, blue sweater worn by Diddy
Cameras aren’t allowed in the courtroom where Combs is on trial for sweeping sex-crimes charges, but courtroom sketches are available of the one-time mogul.
As his trial kicks off, Combs has been depicted with graying hair and often wearing a blue sweater over a white collared shirt.
The outfits are intentional: Combs is allowed five shirts, five sweaters, five pairs of pants and two sets of laceless shoes to wear in the Manhattan federal courtroom, according to an order signed by Judge Subramanian on April 30.
That means he doesn’t have to wear a jumpsuit assigned to him in the detention center where he has been held since his September 2024 arrest.