A hot mic has captured a conversation between Diddy and his lawyer as his ex, Cassie Ventura, testified in court.
The high-profile trial of Diddy - real name Sean Combs, began on Monday (May 12) as he faces charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and racketeering among other accusations, all of which he denies.
His former partner, Ventura, 38, took to the stand this week to share a harrowing testimony detailing the alleged abuse she endured at the hands of the 55-year-old rapper and record producer.
The pair dated on and off for nearly a decade before finally splitting for good in 2018, with Ventura claiming in court documents obtained by NBC News that she was “lured” into dating Diddy — who she described as a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man” — shortly after signing with his record label, and claimed she feared retaliation if she rejected his advances.
In court, Ventura described in harrowing detail the alleged "freak-off" sessions that Diddy would make her partake in, and the physical toll it took on her body.
A September 2024 indictment obtained by E! News describes them as “extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”
“Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” the indictment states. “Freak Offs occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.”
Ventura said she found the acts, which often included hired sex workers, to be "humiliating", claiming that Diddy made her "perform" for him while he watched, with the "freak-offs" lasting anywhere between 36 hours and four days at a time.
She told the court her “stomach churned” when he first brought up the idea. “I didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turn on, but I accepted the responsibility,” Ventura said. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy. It wasn't something that I wanted to be doing, especially as regularly as it became, but again, I was in love and wanted to make him happy. At some point, I felt I didn't have much of a choice."
The defense then cross-examined Ventura, with Diddy's attorney Anna Estevao confronting her with intimate text messages the pair had sent one another throughout their 11-year relationship.
It was during this part of the proceedings that a comment Diddy appeared to whisper to his lawyer was caught on a hot mic in the court.
According to reports from the Daily Mail, Diddy allegedly told Estevao he was "proud" as she tried to suggest that the "freak-offs" were consensual.
The reported comment was captured as Diddy and his attorney embraced on Friday.
Ventura had earlier described one horrifying incident in which Diddy had told an escort to "urinate" in her mouth, claiming the parties had taken a toll on her health, including having "painful" infections and mouth sores, as well as frequent urinary tract infections.
She claimed she'd needed "trauma therapy" to overcome PTSD she'd developed as a result of the alleged abuse.
During the cross-examination on Thursday (May 15), Estevao read out a text Ventura had allegedly sent Diddy in 2017, stating: "Please don’t play victim. That’s all you wanted, and that’s why I was upset. I love our FOs [freak-offs] when we both want it."
She then asked Ventura: "You and Mr Combs were in love for 11 years, right?", to which Ventura replied: "Yeah."
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Estevao then pressed: "You loved him?" to which Ventura responded: "I did," and when asked if she believed Diddy had loved her, Ventura also confirmed: "Yes."
It was after this exchange that the rapper praised the attorney for the interrogation, which was accidentally caught on a mic.
The trial is currently ongoing and expected to last around eight weeks.