May 27, 2025 - Day 10 of testimony in the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial | CNN

May 27, 2025 - Day 10 of testimony in the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial

Elizabeth Wagmeister

By Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown, Kara Scannell and Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN

Updated 6:48 PM EDT, Tue May 27, 2025

Prosecutor Emily Johnson questions rapper Kid Cudi as he testifies at Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 22, 2025 in this courtroom sketch.

Video Ad Feedback

Testimony in 'Diddy' trial revealed new details about alleged Molotov cocktail attack on rapper Kid Cudi's car

2:24 • Source: CNN

Prosecutor Emily Johnson questions rapper Kid Cudi as he testifies at Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 22, 2025 in this courtroom sketch.

Testimony in 'Diddy' trial revealed new details about alleged Molotov cocktail attack on rapper Kid Cudi's car

2:24

What happened today in court

• Day 10: The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ racketeering and sex-trafficking trial heard testimony from only one witness today, Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Combs.

• What happens tomorrow: Prosecutors said they plan to call four witnesses: A Los Angeles Police Department officer, a Los Angeles Fire Department investigator, Deonte Nash and a woman called “Mia,” who is one of Combs’ former assistants and an alleged victim.

• Federal charges: Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that include racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to life in prison.

• Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

70 Posts

Our live coverage of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial has ended for the day. Read about today’s developments in the posts below or check out our recap here.

We will be back with more live coverage tomorrow morning.

An afternoon recap from Day 10 of the Sean "Diddy" Combs federal criminal trial

From CNN's Alisha Ebrahimji

The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ racketeering and sex-trafficking trial heard testimony from only one witness today, Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Combs:

Here’s what happened on cross-examination after the lunch break:

Relationship with Ventura changed: Clark testified that she and Cassie Ventura started to develop some issues around 2008, saying, “She got a little bit more bravado as being his girlfriend, the longer it lasted” and “she (Ventura) went from being more (of) a sweet model to a feisty girlfriend.” Clark said Ventura’s live performances weren’t great, though she thought she had talent. When Clark returned to work for Ventura in 2016, she said, Ventura’s “drug use was preventing her from the opportunities that were before us.”
Access to industry professionals: Ventura had access to top-tier industry professionals that “create stars,” including producers, choreographers and stylists, Clark testified under cross-examination, adding Ventura had more attention and resources than other artists signed with Bad Boy, especially at the beginning of her career between 2007 and 2012. New artists like Machine Gun Kelly and French Montana were getting a lot of attention at Bad Boy around 2012, but Clark said Ventura seemed to be getting the same amount of attention, and even when Combs “took a step back” around 2016-17, she believed Ventura still had the same support.
Hair dye: While working as Ventura’s creative director in 2016, Clark helped create a new look for her to show off at the MTV Video Music Awards that year and it required Ventura to dye her hair neon yellow, she said. Clark testified that Ventura liked the idea and confirmed she wasn’t forced against her will to dye her hair.
Pleading for forgiveness: Clark broke into sobs as she looked at emails she sent Combs in 2014 and 2015 asking him to forgive her. Earlier in the day, she testified that while she was officially fired in 2012 over a vacation she took, she believed Combs actually fired her because he was upset about her knowledge of Ventura’s relationship with Kid Cudi. She said she felt like she was a “protector” for Combs and he didn’t have anyone looking out for him without her on staff.
Unable to find work: Under redirect examination, Clark said the settlement she reached with Combs after her termination in 2012 required mutual non-disparagement and that Combs would sign a letter of recommendation for Clark, but he never did. Clark testified that she couldn’t get a job in the industry after that. The judge struck that testimony from the record, after sustaining a defense objection. Clark said she continued to look for work through 2015 but wasn’t able to find anything in the industry and was “blacklisted,” to which the judge sustained a defense objection to her response. Unable to find steady work in the entertainment industry, Clark started consulting, she testified, saying, “At this level of business, he holds all the power as it related to me.”

Looking for more trial coverage? Tonight on CNN at 11 p.m. ET, Laura Coates will unpack all of today’s key testimony during a special edition of “Laura Coates Live: Diddy On Trial.” The hour will include analysis from legal experts, court reporters and former associates of Combs. On Tuesday’s episode, Laura will interview Sharay “The Punisher” Hayes, one of the male escorts who previously testified against Combs.

Prosecutors plan to call 4 more witnesses tomorrow

Prosecutors said they plan to call four witnesses tomorrow: A Los Angeles Police Department officer, a Los Angeles Fire Department investigator, Deonte Nash and a woman called “Mia,” who is one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistants and an alleged victim.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey said she believes the team will get to all four witnesses tomorrow.

Combs' defense team again raises concern about call restrictions at his prison

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense team is again raising concerns that call restrictions at his prison don’t allow them enough time to speak with Combs once he returns after the trial ends for the day.

Judge Arun Subramanian said he thinks there’s been a disconnect between the defense and prison officials, and that he would try to help them find a solution.

Combs controlled Ventura’s career decisions, ex-employee testifies

Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, testified that when she worked for Cassie Ventura, Combs was required to approve all of her looks, each of her songs, and every event she went to. She said Combs would withdraw his support when the couple was fighting.

Capricorn Clark is off the witness stand and jury is dismissed for the day

Capricorn Clark leaves after testifying in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial at Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday.

Capricorn Clark leaves after testifying in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial at Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday.

Adam Gray/Getty Images

Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Sean “Diddy” Combs, has finished her testimony and the jury has been dismissed for the day.

Clark further testifies about difficulty finding job after 2012 firing

Under redirect examination, former Sean “Diddy” Combs employee Capricorn Clark said that the settlement she reached with Combs after her 2012 firing required mutual non-disparagement, and that Combs sign a letter of recommendation for Clark. Combs never signed a recommendation letter, she testified. Clark couldn’t get a job in the industry after that, she said.

She also said that in a meeting that she thought was about possible employment with executives from Interscope Records, they told her to leave Combs alone, and it wouldn’t end well for her. Judge Arun Subramanian struck that part of the testimony from the record, after sustaining a defense objection.

Clark testified that she continued to look for work through 2015, but wasn’t able to find a new job in the industry because she was “blacklisted.” The judge sustained another defense objection to her response.

She said she wasn’t able to find steady work in the entertainment industry, so she started consulting. “At this level of business, he holds all the power as it related to me,” Clark testified.

Remember: Clark testified earlier today that she returned to work for Combs in 2016, as Cassie Ventura’s creative director, after not finding other employment.

Defense attorney wraps up his cross examination of Capricorn Clark

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo has finished his cross examination of Capricorn Clark.

Judge Arun Subramanian has directed Assistant US Attorney Mitzi Steiner to begin redirect examination.

Clark testifies she pleaded for Combs' forgiveness after firing

Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, broke into sobs as she looked at emails she sent Combs in 2014 and 2015 asking him to forgive her.

She testified earlier in the day that although she was officially fired in 2012 over a vacation she took, she believed Combs actually fired her because he was upset about her knowledge of Cassie Ventura’s relationship with Kid Cudi.

She said she felt like she was a “protector” for Combs and he didn’t have anyone looking out for him without her on staff.

“That email is me pleading like, dude let it go,” she said. Clark, through tears, said she was hurt because she believed at the time that Ventura wanted her fired.

It also bothered her, Clark said, that she believed Combs only hired her again in 2016 because Ventura wanted to work with her.

Combs used Clark's phone to call Ventura before chasing Kid Cudi, ex-employee says

Sean "Diddy" Combs watches as his former assistant Capricorn Clark speaks during Combs' trial in New York on Tuesday.

Sean "Diddy" Combs watches as his former assistant Capricorn Clark speaks during Combs' trial in New York on Tuesday.

Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Sean “Diddy” Combs would periodically come outside the house, but his security guard stayed inside, according to Capricorn Clark, Combs’ former employee.

Clark testified that on one occasion, Combs checked her phone and then called Cassie Ventura from it, asking whose phone number it was.

The call was cut off when they heard Kid Cudi’s car approaching. When Kid Cudi sped off, Combs and the security guard jumped into a car and chased him, she said.

Clark says she spoke to someone else besides Ventura outside Kid Cudi's home

Continuing to testify about the night she called Cassie Ventura from outside Kid Cudi’s house in 2011, Capricorn Clark said she called Lauren London for about 30 seconds for her own “protection” before she called Ventura. Clark was outside the house while Sean “Diddy” Combs and his security guard were inside, she had testified.

“She was like my sister at the time, and I just wanted somebody to know where I was,” Clark said, choking up. “He was in the house and if he did get killed, I just needed somebody to know where I was in case this all went really bad.”

After thinking about it on the stand, Clark said it’s possible she had London on a three-way call with Ventura.

She testified she can’t remember whether she called London separately from Ventura or spoke to them at once on a conference call.

Clark warned Ventura and Kid Cudi that Combs had a gun and intended harm during 2011 incident

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo challenged Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, repeatedly as to whether she told Cassie Ventura and Kid Cudi that Combs had a gun when she called them from outside Kid Cudi’s house.

Clark insisted she told them about the gun at the time, speaking very quickly so Combs wouldn’t see her on the phone.

“I said, ‘Puff came to my house with a gun, we came to Cudi’s house to kill him,’ and then I heard, ‘they’re in my house?’”

She testified Ventura had the call on speaker with Kid Cudi so she could hear him yell that.

Clark testifies she's unsure how Combs and security entered Kid Cudi’s property

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo questioned Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, on how Combs and his security guard got through the gate surrounding Kid Cudi’s property.

Clark testified that she wasn’t sure because their backs were to her and she wasn’t paying close attention to what they were doing. “I was praying that Cudi wasn’t inside there,” she said.

Clark disputes defense claim she voluntarily accompanied Combs in 2011

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo suggested Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, voluntarily went with Combs to Kid Cudi’s house in December 2011 because she “didn’t want him to do something stupid.”

Agnifilo suggested that Clark told him and attorney Teny Geragos this at the meeting with attorneys in April 2024.

On the stand Tuesday, Clark maintained that she did not want to go with Combs. “I went because he told me that he didn’t care that I didn’t want to go.”

Agnifilo asked if it was possible that Combs would do something stupid because he’s a “jealous guy.”

“I wouldn’t use the word jealous,” Clark said. “He has a very bad temper.”

Clark denies telling Homeland Security agent that guard was with Combs during alleged 2011 kidnapping

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo suggested that Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, told an agent from Homeland Security Investigations that Combs came to her door with a building security guard the morning she says he kidnapped her to go to Kid Cudi’s house in December 2011.

On the stand, Clark repeatedly denied saying that and maintained that a security guard was not with Combs. Clark testified that Combs demanded a security guard let him into the building that morning and the guard was fired soon after.

Clark learned of Ventura and Kid Cudi's relationship in late 2011, she says

Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, testified that she first learned Cassie Ventura and rapper Kid Cudi were “getting to know each other” around Thanksgiving in 2011.

She said that Kid Cudi came to her apartment to hang out once, sometime after Thanksgiving. Clark said that about a week before the alleged kidnapping, she picked Ventura up from Kid Cudi’s home after she spent the night there.

Clark said she understood at the time that Ventura was in a relationship with Combs.

Clark says Ventura wasn't forced to dye her hair

Capricorn Clark worked for Sean “Diddy” Combs again as a creative director for Cassie Ventura in 2016.

Clark helped create a new look for Ventura to show off at the MTV Video Music Awards that year that required Ventura to dye her hair neon yellow.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked Clark to confirm Ventura was on board with the look and had a say in the decision.

Clark testified that she presented the idea to Ventura, who liked it, before telling Combs about it.

The defense attorney explicitly asked Clark to confirm that Ventura wasn’t forced against her will to dye her hair, which Clark did.

Ventura continued receiving support from Combs even as focus shifted to new artists, ex-employee says

New artists like Machine Gun Kelly and French Montana were getting a lot of attention at Bad Boy around 2012, but Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, said Cassie Ventura seemed to be getting the same amount of attention.

Clark said that even though Combs “took a step back” around 2016-17, she believed Ventura still had the same support.

Combs initially gave Ventura more resources than other Bad Boy artists, ex-employee says

Sean “Diddy” Combs made sure Cassie Ventura had access to top-tier industry professionals that “create stars,” including producers, choreographers and stylists, his former employee Capricorn Clark testified under cross-examination.

Ventura had more attention and resources than other artists signed with Bad Boy, especially at the beginning of her career between 2007 and 2012, Clark testified.

“From my (point of view), the lion’s share of Bad Boy was on Cassie in that first block of time,” Clark said, referring to a time period between 2007 and 2010.

Clark testifies relationship with Ventura changed over time

Capricorn Clark, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee, testified that she and Cassie Ventura started to develop some issues around 2008.

“She got a little bit more bravado as being his girlfriend, the longer it lasted,” she said.

“She went from being more (of) a sweet model to a feisty girlfriend.”

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked Clark if she thought Ventura was very talented. “I think she had talent,” Clark responded.

She testified that Ventura’s live performances weren’t great. When she returned to work for Ventura in 2016, Clark said, “her drug use was preventing her from the opportunities that were before us.”