Diddy shares admission about how he's feeling as sex-trafficking trial begins
Diddy’s monumental sex-trafficking trial is in the early stages and the former star let slip how he feels at the moment.
Diddy was arrested back in September 16 last year at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, after a grand jury indicted him.
The producer and rapper has since been accused of a series of serious federal charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution.
Prosecutors allege Combs used violence and intimidation to control his victims, citing disturbing claims such as choking, dragging, and even dangling someone from a balcony.
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Combs has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty, while insisting all sexual acts were consensual. If convicted, Diddy could face life in prison.
His long-awaited trial is set to begin and the former star sat in federal court in Manhattan on Monday (May 5) as jury selection got underway.
During the proceedings, Combs asked Judge Arun Subramanian if he could be excused to the bathroom, a request that was initially denied.
It was after this that Combs revealed how he was feeling about his current situation.
Speaking again to the Judge, Combs said: “I'm sorry, your honor, I'm a little nervous today.”
He was then allowed a two-minute break to relieve himself.
Reportedly, more than 600 potential jurors were asked to fill out questions before it could be confirmed whether they could be selected.
Some of the questions included whether they were familiar with people on a list of hundreds of names, many of them being celebrities. Some of the celebrities named included Kanye West, Mike Myers, Michael B. Jordan and Kid Cudi however it is not clear whether they will come up in the trial or be called as witnesses.
As well as these questions, previous reports have indicated that jurors who are familiar with some specific popular TV shows may not be eligible.
Prosecutors have asked 'What television programs the juror regularly watches', as per the Mirror, and specifically ask 'Whether the juror watches Law and Order, CSI or other police dramas'.
This is due to a surprising connection between the rapper and storylines used in the TV shows.
For instance in Law and Order season 3 in the episode 'Dawg Night', a fictional rapper was lurking around a nightclub that becomes the scene of a crime while a Latina pop star also makes an appearance.
Fans have long said the episode may have taken inspiration from by a similar 1999 shooting which allegedly involved Diddy and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, though the rapper was acquitted and charges against J-Lo were dropped.
Diddy appeared on two episodes on CSI: Miami in 2009, playing the part of a lawyer.
Gerrard Kaonga