- Jury selection began Monday for Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial in Manhattan.
- Prospective jurors were shown a list of 200 names that could be mentioned during the trial.
- Combs has denied the charges and other allegations of sexual abuse.
Jury selection for Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking case is underway this week, and it has offered a glimpse of which celebrities may be name-dropped at the trial.
During day one of jury selection in Manhattan federal court on Monday, prospective jurors were shown a list of some 200 names of people who the judge said would at least be mentioned during the trial, which is expected to last eight weeks. No jurors were selected by the end of the day on Monday.
Like Combs' "white party" extravaganzas of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the trial too is expected to feature celebrities — at least by name, if not in person.
Combs was indicted in September 2024 on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied the charges against him and all other allegations of sexual abuse. If convicted on all charges, Combs could face up to life in prison.
Each prospective juror is being asked if they personally know anyone on the list. The list has not been made public, but some famous names were revealed during jury selection on Monday.
Notable figures included on the list were:
- Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West
- Rapper Kid Cudi
- Music producer Dallas Austin
- Choreographer Laurieann Gibson
- Music producer Harve Pierre
- Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard
- Actress Lauren Hutton
- Destiny's Child alum Michelle Williams
- Actor Michael B. Jordan
Also on the list were members of the Combs family and several of Combs' exes and accusers, including:
- Late longtime girlfriend Kim Porter
- Rapper Yung Miami
- R&B singer and key witness Cassie Ventura
Reps for Ye, Kid Cudi, Austin, Gibson, Pierre, Hutton, Williams, Yung Miami, the Combs family and Ventura did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Business Insider.
Richard's lawyer Lisa Bloom, who was in the courtroom during jury selection, declined to comment. Richard sued Combs last year, accusing him of sexual assault.
At the time, an attorney for Combs said in a statement that Combs was "shocked and disappointed" by the lawsuit.
"In an attempt to rewrite history, Dawn Richard has now manufactured a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a payday — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Business Insider has learned that Jordan, the "Black Panther" actor, was referenced in the November 2023 lawsuit Ventura filed against Combs, accusing Combs of rape. The case quickly resulted in a settlement.
At one point during Ventura and Combs' on-again, off-again relationship, Ventura's lawsuit said in 2015 that she "began a flirtatious relationship with an actor." BI has confirmed that the actor is Jordan.
"She spent New Years Eve with this actor, but Combs soon found out," the lawsuit said, alleging that Combs then "called the actor and threatened him."
Jordan is not expected to appear as a witness during Combs' trial.
Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, was also mentioned in Ventura's lawsuit. The suit suggested that Combs was responsible for blowing up a car that belonged to the rapper in 2012 after Combs learned of a "brief relationship" that Kid Cudi and Ventura had.
Ventura is expected to be the star witness in Combs' trial. She is referred to as "Victim-1" in the indictment against Combs.
Being on the list of names shown to potential jurors does not mean that these people will be called to testify, but that their names may be mentioned during the trial.
Not one of the more than 30 prospects questioned on Monday said they knew anyone on the list personally.
Many told the judge they had never heard of any of the people, while several said the only one they had heard of was Ye or Kanye West.
The witness lists for both sides have not been made public.
Jury selection in the high-profile trial is projected to take several days.
At the center of the indictment against Combs are accusations he orchestrated "freak offs," which prosecutors describe in court papers as "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded."
In these alleged drug-fueled sex sessions, prosecutors say Combs "used force, threats of force, and coercion" to get female victims to engage in sex acts with male commercial sex workers.
