Jury selection continued on Day 2 of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial in New York.
Nearly 50 potential jurors have been questioned over the last two days, with slightly more than half remaining in the jury pool and the rest excused for various reasons.
The potential jurors include a middle school physical education teacher, a mover who finds work on Taskrabbit and a massage therapist and actor who belongs to SAG-AFTRA and the Actors’ Equity unions.
There is also an HBO photo producer who has worked on marketing materials for “The White Lotus,” “The Last of Us” and “Real Time With Bill Maher.” This potential juror’s employment at HBO caused concern among Combs’ defense team, who pointed out that the associated streamer, Max, aired a “negative” docuseries titled “The Fall of Diddy” from Investigation Discovery. The judge denied Combs’ lawyers’ application to strike the juror, but he further questioned her about her role at the company. She was not struck, but a marketing executive at Simon & Schuster was, as her bonus is tied to book sales, and the publishing house is releasing a memoir from Combs accuser Al B. Sure! later this year.
The five-day jury selection process goes as follows: In the morning, a group of prospective jurors is asked to swear an oath of honest before they are given a packet of 14 yes or no questions and a list of more than 190 names and places. The questions include whether they have been the victim of a crime, whether they or anyone close to them has worked in law enforcement, and whether there is any reason they couldn’t render a fair and impartial judgment. Each juror is brought before the judge and asked to explain any “yes” answers. They are also asked if they personally know any of the names or places listed. (On the first day, the judge asked if they “recognized” any of the names.)
The jurors were also asked to fill out a questionnaire the week before arriving at court. Those questions ask what type of news and media the jurors consume, and what opinions they have about Combs and the trial based on what they have read and heard.
As the judge interviews the jurors, attorneys from either side may suggest additional questions. If any of the jurors’ comments raise concern about bias, the attorneys may “apply” for them to be excused for cause. For example, one juror was excused after responding, “P. Diddy has a lot of money” and “could probably buy his way out of jail.” Another was struck after saying she “leans toward [Combs] having committed the crimes” based on what she had gathered from the case.
At the end of the day, the jurors who were not excused return to the courtroom for group questioning, where each person is asked about where they live, who they live with, what music and TV shows they like and more. Of the 19 jurors questioned Monday, six said they listen to hip-hop, with at least two specifically mentioning ’90s hip-hop, the era in which Combs became a star.
Many of the potential jurors noted that they had seen the hotel surveillance video obtained and published by CNN that allegedly depicted Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and dragging her across the floor. CNN’s copy of the video will not be used as evidence in the trial, but “variants” of the footage will be shown to the jury. CNN’s video has come up repeatedly in juror interviews, with one prospective juror saying, “Most everybody saw the video,” adding that he believed it depicted Combs as an “angry, hostile person who is entitled.”
Meanwhile, a white-haired Combs sits in the courtroom listening to the judge speak with all of the potential jurors.
Combs’ trial began Monday in a Lower Manhattan courthouse overseen by Judge Arun Subramanian. Throughout the week, 150 potential jurors will be whittled down to 12 who will serve on the trial, which is expected to last at least eight weeks. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin on May 12.
The rapper and Bad Boy Records founder is facing five counts, including one for racketeering, two for sex trafficking and two for transportation to engage in prostitution. If he is convicted on any or all counts, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Since 2023, Combs has been hit with more than 70 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct ranging from rape to sex trafficking. Those lawsuits are separate from the federal trial, which will likely feature testimony from high-profile figures such Ventura and other alleged victims whose names have yet to be revealed.
Federal prosecutors say they have interviewed more than 50 witnesses and recovered evidence from over 100 laptops, cellphones and other electronic devices. The government looks to paint Combs as a serial abuser who led a vast criminal network held together by assistants, security guards and other employees who kept quiet for years. The charges in the indictment stem from alleged crimes that span from 2004 to 2024. Combs has denied all allegations and has insisted that all sexual activities were consensual.
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