Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DIDDY RAGE OVER "TOOTSIE ROLL" CLAIM & PR "FREE PUFFY" TEES REVEAL

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

Several women testified to seeing abuse between Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura.  During her testimony, Dawn Richards recounted an instance in which Combs allegedly threatened his ex-girlfriend and hit her with a skillet of eggs because she was not cooking fast enough. Ventura's former best friend, Kerry Morgan, testified that police came to Ventura's apartment after the incident at the InterContinental Hotel because Combs was banging on her door with a hammer. She said she was only testifying because she had been subpoenaed. Morgan had been Ventura’s best friend for years until 2018, when Combs allegedly assaulted her in Ventura’s apartment Joining Nancy Grace today: Joshua Ritter - Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Prosecutor, Host of Courtroom Confidential on YouTube; , X, Instagram & TikTok: @joshuaritteresq, YouTube: CRConfidential Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker: When to work on a relationship and when to walk away” Also featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X @DrBethanyLive Chris McDonough - Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, Worked over 300 Homicides in 25 year career and trained the first Native American Homicide Task Force; & Host of YouTube channel, "The Interview Room" Dr Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), NEW Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue" launching soon, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Brett Brown - Executive director of SASS Go (Surviving Assault Standing Strong) a nonprofit on a mission to eradicate abuse, trafficking and violence against women and girls globally, www.sassgo.org, @sassgoglobal FB, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Rob Shuter - Host: Naughty But Nice Podcast, Former publicist of Sean Combs, Author: "The 4 Word Answer", radaronline.com; IG: @naughtygossip Lauren Conlin - Podcaster, Reporter, Host- Co-Host of "PopCrimeTV" on YouTube;  X- @Conlin_Lauren, Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin, YouTube: @PopCrimeTV Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Diddy raging over last week's Tootsie Roll reveal as a PR fail emerges. Sean Combs' PR team discovered actually paying off people outside the courthouse to wear free, puffy T-shirts. Don Rashard taking the stand testifying that Sean Combs threatened we could die for speaking out and defending Cassie Ventura. depraved Diddy constantly carried a Louis Vuitton bag stuffed with cocaine, ecstasy, pot, horse tranquilizer, and plan B birth control. Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Testimony pouring from the witness stand all day long and joining us outside the courthouse, Lauren Conlon, investigative reporter, star of Pop Crime

TV. Lauren, thank you for being with us. Tell us what's going on in the courtroom. Yes, Nancy, it started off pretty, pretty interesting this morning with Diddy's lawyers actually arguing that that the case and the witnesses is becoming more of a gossip chamber of some sort. They are trying to get some of the chef testimony that's expected to testify thrown out, saying what does the chef testimony have to do with the indictment? And the prosecution is saying, well, that has to do with forced labor. We also saw Dawn Richard finish her direct testimony and get cross-examined. And what's come into question, Nancy, is all of Dawn Richard's previous statements to the government as they appear to change. And we

learned this when the defense came up to cross-examine her, and Dawn Richard actually admitted herself that her testimony has changed based on her memories. Specifically, after the Skillet incident, she testified last week and today that Diddy and Harv Pierre, one of his bad boy record executives, actually said to her that if she told, people go missing if they tell. And the defense pointed out that she had never said this to the government, and she admitted that, you know, she didn't remember. So they are really trying to poke holes in her statement. Additionally, the government pointed out that she left after a certain period of time working for Diddy because she was scared. And he had threatened her and she saw the violence he committed.

And the defense said, well, isn't it true that you texted him to work for him again? And she said yes, but she said that she did this for her bandmate Kalena Harper at her request. Now, there was what I believe is a big bombshell in celebrity names. Don Richard said that at a dinner they were at in L.A., Diddy punched Cassie in the stomach, and there were other celebrities there, like Usher. And additionally, after the government would ask Don Richard about these different occurrences of violence, they would always make sure to ask after which of Diddy's employees were present. You mentioned a, quote, skillet incident. And this is Don Richard recounting when Sean Combs actually beat Cassie Ventura in the head with a frying pan.

Could you explain what happened? Yes. So Don Rashard first testified on Friday that she was recording music at Diddy's L.A. home with her bandmate. They were in this Diddy Dirty Money group or Dirty Money. And Cassie was making eggs at the stove. Diddy came down the stairs and she said that he attacked her or tried to hit her with his frying pan and that Cassie appeared to go down in a fetal position. And then he dragged her up the stairs.

Now, Dawn Richard, during her her redirect with the government, after she was called out for changing her story, she said without a doubt that that she knows that Diddy hurt Cassie. She was in the fetal position and she saw her get dragged up the stairs. A skillet, a frying pan full of eggs. Now, you stated, Lauren Conlon, that Richard has changed her testimony. I'm very curious. Changed it how exactly? Well, the first thing that the defense pointed out is that she never told the government. And I believe that she had about eight meetings that Diddy never said to her people go missing. And this is essentially a death threat.

Additionally, they pointed out that in her civil lawsuit, there was some kind of incident that was recounted about Diddy dragging Cassie out of a car onto grass. And a lot of people saw. And Don Rashard actually said, oh, that was a mistake that that my lawyers made. And I guess they were referring to another incident. We learned this in the redirect. So there was that. And there was a couple other instances where she left certain. OK, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. So Lauren Conlon, one of the things that the defense tried to make sound like it's inconsistent was actually another violent incident. Yes, that is pertaining to her civil lawsuit, her 2024 civil lawsuit. But what's interesting is that Dawn Richard testified that over time, her memory has gotten better because she wanted to suppress a lot of these bad memories from working with Diddy.

She worked so hard to not remember them. And now, you know, she's been working with the government to remember them. And Nancy, I want to point something else out that I've noticed about the jury today because I feel like I have a good view of the jury. I'm not sure if they're getting desensitized to some of the violence that we're hearing about, or they just don't have a reaction. But I'm really surprised because

sometimes I have to hold my face still in order to not react. And they are just, you know, kind of blank. Additionally, I've seen Diddy today pass numerous notes to his lawyer. There is a woman doing the cross-examination by the name of Nicole Westmoreland. I felt that, you know, she was effective, but in my opinion, she seemed a little bit nervous this morning. She forgot to say objection at one point, but again, overall, she's been pretty effective. Wait, wait, wait. The person cross-examining forgot to say objection? At one point, she did. The judge was like, I think you mean objection, and, you know, she went on. And this was early on, so I'm like, ooh, she might be a little nervous. Okay, I find it hard to believe a lawyer forgets to say objection.

But that's a whole other can of worms. What about the testimony in chief that Rashard describes an incident where Combs attacked her because she, Rashard, was trying to defend Cassie? Well, she says that he verbally threatened her and that he would always say things like, you know, this is not your business. Stay out of my relationship. There was something else that she said that Charles Pierre, a bad boy executive, and Diddy would both say to her. It was something like,

something about people going to dark places. And I'm paraphrasing here. But, you know, if I had to just kind of put it out there, Nancy, uh, you know, if, if I, I had to just kind of put it out there, Nancy, and you know, maybe you'll see, but I, I do feel like the defense really hammered Don Richard. Did she try to intervene on behalf of Cassie Ventura? Yes. And last you were discussing inconsistencies that she had not used the words Diddy threatened that or his henchperson that people disappear when they talk. What phraseology, if any, did she use when she was talking to the state? She left that completely out, but said that Diddy said to her, what you witnessed was passion.

Cassie is okay. Carrie Morgan, Cassie's former best friend, was on the stand, and she testified that after the March 2016 incident, and this is crazy, she was at Cassie's house. Cassie walked in with the hood, a black eye, put her bag down, appeared to be extremely numb, And then about 30 minutes later, Kerry Morgan alleged that Diddy showed up outside the door, banging on it with a hammer.

Lauren Conlon joining me outside the courthouse. I just want to nail down one thing. Okay. On the stand, Rashard states that she was told people go missing when they talk. She was cross-examined about that phraseology. But isn't it true that when she interviewed with the state and when she was on direct examination, she stated that she was threatened by Combs and his cronies?

Dawn Richard, and this is through the government as well as the defense, she interviewed with the government multiple times, about seven or eight times. And she did not say that specific line about people going missing. It was more general until about the eighth meeting, the last meeting, which occurred in April or May of 2025. So she has said, oh, we've really, really gone on a wild goose chase for this. So she has said that she was told people go missing when they talk in April or May of 25. She did say that before she took the stand. Yes, according to the transcripts that she read. But that goes back to her saying that she tried to forget these memories and suppress them. And while working with

the government, she was able to recount these memories. Got it. Lauren Collin joining us outside the courthouse. Now let's go to an all-star panel. Thank you, Lauren. Straight out to Josh Ritter joining us, a veteran criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor, host of Courtroom Confidential on YouTube. Josh, thank you for being with us. So you say tomato, I say tomato. She, in multiple interviews with the state prior to testimony, stated that she was threatened with physical harm if she talked, in other words, told anyone about Cassie's beatings. Today, the way she described it was people disappear if they talk. People go missing. I don't see that that's as big of a point as the defense is trying to make it be.

I actually think it is a big point. I mean, we're talking about prior inconsistent statements. The idea that she is trying to say that her memory has improved over time. I mean, I'm no memory expert, but that's laughable to me. And I think it'll be laughable to a jury. That is not how memory works. We don't all of a sudden feel stronger and more detailed about our memories, certainly over things that have taken place years and years ago. This is the problem. You know what's interesting, Josh Ritter? I appreciate what you're saying.

Let me see, Ritter, because I did not put a lot of stock in Repressed Memories Returned until I was prosecuting in the DA's office, and there was a brilliant, brilliant woman who became a very, very dear friend in the DA's office who went on to run our appellate division. And well into her marriage, she already had a child. She had repressed memories of being molested as a child by a family member and had repressed it for all those years. And she was just as down to earth as you or I just not fantastical at all. And I've got to say that helped ruin her marriage because it totally messed her mind up when these memories came back. Now, when this woman had a repressed memory return, I realized it was real and I had poo pooed it for years. In fact, I want to go to

Dr. Bethany Marshall on this. I understand Ritter's skepticism. I get it. Dr. Bethany Marshall, renowned psychoanalyst joining us out of LA. She's the author of Deal Breakers. And you can see her on Peacock now. She is at drbethanymarshall.com. Dr. Bethany, I always blame the questioner. It's not in my mind that Richard has changed her testimony. It's that the more she talked about it, the more facts came out. If you do a simple what happened and the person tells you, and then that becomes their sworn statement. And then later you go, well, what exactly did he say? And what exactly was the threat? That's the questioner's fault. That is

not her fault. But the defense is going to turn this around on her. You know, Nancy, the idea of memories is so complex. It could be that the more she's been questioned, the more she recognizes the severity of the abuse, the more she thinks about it, the more she recovers memories of what happened. But also, Nancy, there's one more layer, and that is that the way the defense is questioning her is also abusive. Joining me also, pouring over every word in the courtroom, crime stories investigative reporter reporter Sydney Sumner. Sydney, thank you for being with us. Sydney, I understand that after last week, the Tootsie Roll reveal when it comes to Sean Combs' penis, along with the harrowing testimony on the stand from Cassie,

has thrown Sean Combs into a rage. And that rage only heightened behind bars. When he was forced to watch a Knicks game, at one point he would sit courtside and kind of help coach. But now he's watching it and sharing the tiny little screen with his fellow inmates on the cell block. That only made his rage worse. First, you've got the Tootsie Roll reveal.

Okay. As if that weren't enough. A week of harrowing testimony from Cassie Ventura damning him on the stand. Now this. Yeah, Nancy. Watching that Knicks game from a tiny screen in 4 North is not the same experience as being courtside. And after listening to Cassie's testimony all week,

he may have been reflecting when he took her to a game in 2017. Now, perhaps caught them all smiles at that game, but we now know that that is not the truth of their relationship in any way, shape, or form. And we also see some interesting things. None of Sloan's family is in court today. We've seen his mom fix all of his children who are old enough to understand what's happening are accompanying his mother in court every day.

One of his sons came to support her son, supporting his dad, and no one is in the courtroom for him today. Okay, boo-hoo. Dr. Bethany Marshall, I want to jump off what Sidney Sumner was saying. The, let me just say, perfect storm of the Tootsie Roll reveal. And then the really disturbing testimony coming from the stand, everybody looking at him sitting there like he's Mr. Rogers in the neighborhood. And she's describing rapes, freak offs, beatings, all of that. And then he's forced to. There was a time when he would basically help coach on the side of the court.

Right. And now he's got to watch the next game with his fellow inmates on a teensy tights. Speaking of itty bitty ditty, an itty-bitty screen. In my field, Nancy, we call this a narcissistic injury. That's when somebody who is used to being inflated, important, grandiose, feeling more important than everybody else around them, all of a sudden has a slight or an injury to their self-esteem. And then when they have a slight or they feel attacked, they feel deflated. When they feel deflated, they feel enraged. When they feel enraged, they go on the attack. And I would guess that even the inmates where he is are being the brunt of his aggression

because I'm sure he's not happy about this at all. This is about an enterprise, a group of people flying in sex workers, drugging women, facilitating videos of them being raped and sodomized while they're passed out. The truth about Diddy is much, much more dark. Evidence pouring from the witness stand, and we are learning that even when Sean Combs is arrested, knowing that he may turn himself in, even that night when his five-star hotel is raided, it's full of damning evidence. Listen.

Homeland Security Special Agent Yassin Binda, who searched Sean Combs' Manhattan Park Hyatt hotel suite the day of his arrest. Bottles of baby oil and lube were scattered throughout the suite and a lighting device was found in the living room. Pill bottles found in a Louis Vuitton toiletry bag contained Klonopin prescribed for Frank Black and a pink powder that tested positive for ketamine and MDMA. A fanny pack contained $9,000 cash and Binda said it appeared a woman

was staying in the room with Combs. That's not all that was found. Sean Combs planning a freak-off in a five-star hotel in Manhattan when he's arrested. Sidney Sumner joining us. What is Astro Glide? Astro Glide is lubrication for sexual purposes, Nancy. OK, I'm just curious.

Josh Ritter, you're so busy planning how you can destroy Don Richard on the stand, how you can tear her testimony into shreds. You tell me after all this, and this is after a federal multi-count indictment, there he is the night of his arrest with a hotel room stuffed, stuffed with AstroGlide, multiple bottles of baby oil, all sorts of lubricants, sex aids, and tons of cash and drugs. I mean, the man can't help himself. He is a criminal from the beginning to the end. This is the night of his arrest. Yeah, I don't know where to go with that.

It doesn't look good. You're absolutely right. Here's the thing, though, that the defense is going to have to continue to hammer home. And maybe this is becoming a hill too high to climb. But it's the idea that as deviant as this is, as outrageous as it is, where is the crimes here? I know we're hearing a lot of testimony about really kind of sick behavior. But have we heard a lot about him understanding that consent was not being given? Have we heard a lot about criminal enterprise? Those are the thoughts the prosecution's going to have to connect.

Okay, you're actually making my teeth hurt. Does he understand lack of consent? According to the state, the women were drugged out of their gourds. Didn't you hear about that Louis Vuitton bag stuffed full of ecstasy, coke, pot, plan B birth control. I don't mean just one plan B birth control pill. I mean, a whole Louis Vuitton bag. Sydney Sumner, tell him what was in the Louis Vuitton bag that Combs carried constantly. There was Klonopin prescribed for Frank Black, which is an alias that Combs used very frequently when booking hotel rooms for freak-offs. And they also found pink powder, sometimes referred to as

pink cocaine or tulip. And that tested positive for both ketamine and ecstasy. Joining me now so we can further explain it to defense attorney Joshua Ritter, renowned chief medical examiner, Dr. Kendall Crowns, chief medical examiner, Tarrant County, that's Fort Worth, Texas, star of a new podcast, a hit, Mayhem in the Morgue, esteemed lecturer at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, Dr. Kimball Crowns. First of all, what is horse trank? Tell me that. Tell me all about ketamine, but dummy down for me.

Talking regular people talk. What is ketamine? So ketamine is an anesthetic. What it does is it induces a trance-like state, distorting your perception of sight and sound and your reality around you. It makes you feel disconnected and not in control. So it makes you very easily made to do things that you wouldn't necessarily do if you had your wits about you. And it's used to facilitate sexual assault commonly. Dr. Kendall Crowns, what is Klonopin? Klonopin is in the class of benzodiazepines.

And benzodiazepines produce sedation, hypnosis, or kind of make you feel disconnected. They're usually used to relieve anxiety and muscle spasms or to reduce seizures. It makes you kind of more sedate, more calm, increases your anxiety, makes you forget what's going on and makes you more susceptible to suggestion. Straight out to Joshua Ritter, criminal defense attorney. I assume you can hear Dr. Kendall Crowns speaking.

And I want to quote a medical doctor. One of the most common questions about ketamine is was or is ketamine used on horses? The answer is yes. So Joshua Ritter, could you explain to me your nonsensical question? Did, did he know there was no consent? The women were high on horse trank, ketamine. They were using ecstasy, Klonopin and more. And why the plan B birth control pills for the morning after a free cough? You explain that to me and try to square with your question. did he know there wasn't consent? Why do you think he's charged with rape? I want to know from the doctor, are those recreational drugs?

Are they also recreational drugs? Are they drugs that people willingly take because they want to? Do you think the Plan B abortion pill is recreational? No, but I think it might be part of these, you know, freak offs. Oh, did I hear you say no, because I think you said no. I did say no. Here's the thing, though. Yes, you did, didn't you?

OK, no further questions. Go ahead. The government has got to prove the nefarious nature of all of these things. Yeah. Is it a horse tranquilizer? Sure. But is it also a recreational drug? Oh, well, then now we got another interpretation of what those narcotics are used for. Is this all part of a party lifestyle?

Are they all taking it willingly? That's the problem. The government has to connect. Okay, hold on just a moment. Rob Shooter is joining me, the PR publicist for Sean Combs, former PR, former PR guru for Sean Combs. I see everything went to crap when you left. Host of Naughty But Nice podcast and author of The Four Word Answer. Rob Shooter, question to you.

You're hearing about threats from another star, Don Rashard, on the stand. Threats that people disappear when they talk. Did many people surrounding Sean Combs have to sign an NDA, non-disclosure agreement, and why? Yes, absolutely. There were NDAs everywhere. I did not sign one, but lots and lots of people that worked for Puffy did sign NDAs. And this is because he doesn't want the truth getting out, not necessarily about the accusations we are talking about today, but his whole life. He's a complete control freak. He decides what's in the media, what's in the press and what isn't. You don't decide that. He does. An example, even though I didn't have an NDA with him, every press release I sent out

about Puffy, whether it be playing Broadway, running a marathon, changing his name, he approved. He approved it. And a lot of celebrities sort of glance at these. Why did he change his name so many times, Rob? To get attention. to get attention. We'd literally be sitting in his conference room and he was like, not getting a lot of press this week. Let's change my name, which is why I have said, and I believe this in a really perverse way. Diddy is enjoying what is happening right now. He has made himself one of the most famous people in the world.

And in a sick, perverse way. I think he's secretly enjoying that we're all talking about Diddy. Rob Shooter joining us, star of Naughty But Nice podcast and longtime PR guru to Sean Combs no more. Author of the four word answer, Shooter, what about this PR fail? First of all, we hear all about Diddy's Tootsie Roll last week, how one rape victim, when she saw that, wasn't as afraid anymore. Then we have damning testimony on the stand, just pouring from Cassie Ventura with a jury looking over at him like, you P-O-S. Now we hear the latest PR fail where Sean Combs' PR people are paying just bystanders out in front of the courthouse, paying them $20 an hour to wear a

free Puffy t-shirt and the press found out about it. Pathetic, but not surprising. It seems to be here that Puffy is really waging a two-prong war, a legal war and a PR war. PR is very important to Puffy. He has spent a lot of money on publicists. And these t-shirts, we shouldn't be that surprised. He's done this before. When I was working with him, he was trying to get young people to vote. And he came up with these t-shirts called Vote or Die that he sold, he made money from at his store. So I'm wondering if these t-shirts were produced by Sean John, his clothing line. If not, then I do believe that this would ultimately get out. It's an old PR tool. It didn't work back then. It's not going to work today. Why do you, why do you. Why do you feel that way? These are all paid protesters. You can get $20 an hour if you wear a t-shirt.

You guys speak up. She just got recruited, right? I refuse. You said no. It wasn't worth the $20? No, but he told me that it's for a Diddy coin, so I'm not really sure what that is Yeah they just tried to pay $20 To wear a free fucking shirt Stop I knew I could tell Cause the lady right there

She just kept convincing me to wear To go wear a shirt And I'm like I'm good So that's just $20 If you guys need $20 All you have to do Is wear a free puff shirt and you said no yeah i said no did they say how many hours twenty thousand dollars and she

told me she got paid like sixty dollars yesterday for standing out there at three hours oh my gosh how the mighty have sunk uh that's from tiktok Knows Everything. Rob Shooter, former PR guru to Sean Combs. It's bad enough to pay people to wear free puffy T-shirts, but then to get busted on it. Humiliating, stupid. This stuff gets out really, really quick in the press. But my sources are telling me it's actually worse than what we just saw. But Diddy's team has been trying to convince people to just show up. They want crowds outside this courthouse. Insiders are telling me that Diddy's really angry that people are not on the streets.

His ego is so big, is so big, that he predicted hundreds, if not thousands of people would be outside that courthouse. Nobody is really there that's about 100 or hundred or so. Let me see, shooter. Oh, no. Tilly's really angry this time. So he's mad about his Tootsie Roll. Everybody finding out about that. He is mad about,

what is he mad about? Throngs of people not coming to the courthouse. Did you say thousands? He expected thousands of people to show up outside the courthouse to support you say thousands? He expected thousands of people to show up outside the courthouse to support him? You better believe it, Nancy. This guy has a huge ego.

When I was with him, he wanted crowds everywhere. And if we had to pay for them to be there, so be it. He has a lot, a lot of money. And the Tootsie Roll thing- How do you find people to come out and fawn over Sean Combs? How did you do that? Where did you find them? You could find people to come out and fawn over Sean Combs? How did you do that?

Where did you find them? You could find people that worked at record labels. You could find marketing companies. You could find people that would find you folks to turn up and you pay them and they wear T-shirts. They come to album signings. This actually might be very unusual in a legal case. But in the music business, when you see all those fans lined up

outside record stores, quite a lot of them are actually paid to be there. It's called the hype business. It's called the business of illusions. And nobody does it better than Diddy until now. Okay, Rob Shooter, do you ever feel bad about everything you did to prop Diddy up? All that was a lie. And yeah, he's nothing but a rapist and a sex trafficker, according to prosecutors. And you were right in there with him, man. Yeah, well, Nancy, I hope hopefully I wasn't. I've had many nights when I thought about this and questioned my consciousness.

And what did I see? Did I see any red flags? And so, yeah, I think a lot of people today who turned him into a star, turned him into the guy he is today, have some guilt, hopefully a lot of guilt. And people should say, sorry, I have. But I do think too, a lot of people that worked with him are going to say this is totally different. I don't agree. The fact that we helped make him into a superstar helped him become this monster, at least act out and get away. It looks like what he did for over two decades. You know, Rob Shooter, you and I go way back. You know how I feel about you. Very often, people that I like or respect or witnesses I've never met, they look back and they think, wow, I should have fill in the blank.

Or I didn't realize I said that. I didn't realize what was happening. I couldn't see it. When you look back, you know, propping him up, like, you know, you've got Rashard on the stand describing how she saw Sean Combs take a frying pan full of eggs and beat Cassie with it. And you know, it had to be hot too, if it still had the eggs in it, beat her with it. And people describe knots she had on her head. And then you've got Kerry Morgan. I mean, it goes on and on and there's going to be more. There's going to be more people. Didn't they see anything or were they just oblivious, blinded by all that money and power?

It's a really good question. I think a little bit of both. I honestly think that I didn't see this, but it was over 20 years ago when I worked with Puff, it was the beginning of the monster. He was just sort of forming himself as the celebrity that he is today. I was with him in the beginning. Now, I don't think people change, but I do think the power that he gained over the years allowed him to become, or at least to express those feelings that he had inside. But also too, Nancy, I do think about this a lot. Did I not see stuff because he was paying me a lot of money? Did I not see stuff because I ate in great restaurants and flew on private planes with him?

And I hope the answer to that is one that I can live with. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The defense also questions Cassie on what she meant when she told investigators Combs was acting strangely leading up to and during the rape. Cassie said Combs was acting nice but strange during their meal before the rape, did not respond to her screams and cries during the attack, and left without any interaction afterward. Anna Estiveo asked if Cassie thought Combs' odd behavior may have been tied to his bipolar disorder. The first time the court has heard about this diagnosis. His what?

Brett Brown joining me, executive director of Surviving Assault Standing Strong. It's a nonprofit whose mission is eradicating sex attacks and sex trafficking on women and girls. So instead of putting up a doctor, they get the woman he has beaten for years, according to the state, raped on video, drugged, harassed, threatened. They're asking her if he's got a bipolar problem, if he's been, is he diagnosed with bipolar? Maybe that's why he raped you. Can you believe asking an alleged rape victim? Well, wait, maybe he did it because he's bipolar. Are you serious? It's insane. This whole lineup is insane because they're putting both the possibility of bipolar and drug use on her shoulders to decide what state of mind was he in when he committed these heinous crimes. And what's funny to me is they're saying recreational drug use means that he was not responsible for his actions.

And in the same time frame, saying recreational drug use made these women responsible for their actions. And if I remember correctly, the federal trafficking laws, commercial sex act induced by forced fraud or coercion, doing drugs, even recreationally removes your ability to give consent, i.e. coercion. And if it's in exchange for money that makes it commercial. So the whole thing is insane. To special guests joining us, Chris McDonough, director at the Cold Case Foundation, former homicide detective, for my purposes, former vice detective. He is the star of the interview room on YouTube. Chris McDonough, if I'm bipolar was the defense or I was high on drugs and alcohol was the defense, everybody in the MDC would walk.

They'd all claim they're bipolar, and on drugs and alcohol at the time, they rape, kill, rob, fill in the blank. Yeah, absolutely, Nancy. And doesn't it feel like the universe is on schedule here? I think AstroGlide is going to have a whole new meeting in block four where he's being housed. What we're witnessing here is a

going out of business sale with the largest pimp in the world disguised as a music mogul. Now you're going to put on your past victims to say that you have a mental disorder. It's crazy. It's crazy. You know, I'm just thinking this through. Claiming now that he is bipolar to Rob Shooter, a longtime PR guru to Sean Combs, not working for him anymore. Rob Shooter, did you ever know him to be bipolar? No, no, no. Even though I haven't worked with him for a while, I've obviously covered his

career. I'm an entertainment reporter now. I'd never heard of this. To bring it up at this moment, it's so desperate. It's so wrong. It's so silly. I think, I hope the jury will see through it. But it's just another instance that just shows you how clueless he is. And why I say Puffy's clueless is, trust me, Puffy is running this defense. He is out there. He's telling his lawyers what he wants. He's not the type of guy to sit back and take advice. He is running the show. And this is the show he thinks is going to get him off. Hey, Rob Shooter, there is word from believable sources that he is insisting he is going to get him off. Hey, Rob Shooter, there is word from believable sources that he is insisting he is going to take the stand over counsel's objection. Do you believe he'll do it? Oh, I only hope he does. Yeah, I think you do, Nancy. You're absolutely right. What a stupid,

stupid move. But try telling him that. Try telling him that he shouldn't do this. He's not used to being told no. He could argue, and I would give him some credibility here, Nancy. He could argue he's been a brilliant businessman for the last 20 years. He's made really smart decisions. And his bank account seems to prove him right. So it's very difficult having self-made people who have made billions of dollars that they are wrong. They don't want to hear it. They're not going to listen. Mindsiders are confirming your report in Nancy, that he is, he is going to take the stand. How I love 50, AKA 50, a.k.a. 50, a.k.a. 50 Cent. He has it out for Sean Combs, what he just posted. Oh, here is Sean Combs with his former bestie Epstein, a.k.a. his roomie there.

Look at these two. Fitty on the warpath. Okay, and that's not all. You've got to see another one. This is from TikTok at Fitty Cent. Oh, oh, okay. There he goes. Oh, wait.

So, okay. I knew baby oil was going to pop up. Yeah, okay. Fitty, thank you so much for that. Let's get back to the testimony. I hope the jury is not questioned and have to admit that they've been watching Fiddy like I have been. Sydney Summer joining me, Crime Stories investigative reporter. What about Carrie Morgan? Nancy, she is a great corroborator for what Cassie Ventura said on the stand last week.

Don Rashard had a little bit of trouble with the defense attorneys pointing out inconsistencies in her story, but Morgan is very, very believable as she first told prosecutors she doesn't want to be here. She's only here because she's been subpoenaed. So Morgan has testified to two instances where she watched Sean Combs attack Cassie Ventura. And Morgan says he was perfectly sober during both of those instances. And she also testified to when Combs hit her in the face with a wooden hanger. She was staying at her friend's house. She was staying with Cassie Ventura.

Cassie was in the bathroom. And Combs burst into the apartment, upset, saying things about Cassie cheating. And he strangled her and then threw a wooden hanger at her face. And Morgan says she went to the hospital. She had a concussion. She vomited several times after being hit in the head so hard. And she went to Combs and Cassie and said, look, I don't want to take this to court, but we need to settle this. So she received $30,000 from Combs and Ventura. She signed an NDA and she never spoke to her best friend again after that. You know, Chris McDonough, and I'm going to go to Joshua around this. I actually like a witness that doesn't want to be there because they don't have a dog in the fight, no skin in the game. They're not pro Sean Combs. They're not pro Cassie Ventura. They're not waving the flag. They're like, I'm here because I got subpoenaed. I don't want to be here,

but this is what I saw. That's a good witness. Yeah, that's a great witness, Nancy. And I think what's really exciting about that is to see these victims empowering themselves and taking back that emotional manipulation and control. And that's what's happening in this particular testimony. Guys, right now, we not only remember, but we acknowledge American heroes, typically women from every corner of our great country that come forward and speak out against rape, against sex trafficking, against abuse, even though they are facing horrible odds, possibly retribution, possibly losing their job, possibly losing their career, but coming forward and speaking the truth to all of you witnesses, all of you victims.

We salute you and please never be quiet. Thank you to our guests, but especially to you for being with us. Nancy Grace, signing off. I'll see you tomorrow night, 6 to 9 o'clock, sharp Eastern. And until then, good night.