Law&Crime Sidebar - P. Diddy on Trial: 7 Fake News Stories You Might Have Believed

Episode Date: June 13, 2025

As the federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs drags on, the internet is being flooded with salacious and click-worthy headlines. But upon closer inspection, some of the most attention-grabbing links lead to outright lies. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber separates fact from fiction.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you or a loved one have suffered physical or mental health issues due to video games, visit https://vgclaims.com/sidebar to answer less than 10 questions and check your eligibility to file a claim!HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Eddie Murphy takes the stand. Justin Bieber exposes secrets. Did he fainted in court? There has been a lot of misinformation out there about what's been going on in Sean Combs' criminal trial currently underway in New York federal court. So we're here to debunk some of those rumors, outright fake information that is spreading

on social media and online. Welcome to Sidebar. Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. Hey, everybody, this is another law and crime legal alert. So recent allegations against the multi-billion dollar video game industry claim that video games are engineered for addiction. The claims include trying to make sense of the hold that video games seem to have over people

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answer less than 10 questions and check your eligibility to file a claim. There has been a lot so far that's come up in the Sean Diddy Combs criminal trial, the man facing sex trafficking, racketeering, transportation to engage in prostitution charges. But there has also been a lot of lot that hasn't happened. And there has been a lot of misinformation that has been spreading online about things that happened at the trial that really haven't happened at the trial. So we thought let's correct the record on some of those points. Okay. Now, first of all, what is driving a lot of this? Well, unfortunately, there are and were a lot of AI generated videos and photos popping up on video and social media depicting celebrities in court or things happening in court that

are just straight up not true, like Oprah, Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Cruise, Dwayne the Rock Johnson, all testifying, all not true. If they testified, you would know about it. If they testified, it would be the biggest story around the country. It would be everywhere. Not the case. You wouldn't be finding it on these kind of obscure social media accounts or YouTube pages. It's all not true. As of right now, these celebrities who I mentioned, they have no part whatsoever in this trial. By the way, News Nation, they reported there is even a video suggesting a mysterious envelope that was tied to singer Alicia Keys. It was opened in court while she testified. Also, not true. She didn't testify. There was no envelope. Also, according to News Nation,

YouTube and TikTok, they removed videos that were flagged by News Nation. Actually, there's one celebrity that has popped up quite a bit, a lot in fake thumbnails and titles on you. YouTube and that concerns we're talking about Justin Bieber. There are photos out there or were out there that look like he's testifying, which he never has. There are titles claiming he leaked the list of celebrities that Combs had sex with or that he destroyed Diddy in Court. There are fake quotes like, he made me watch.

There are also fake photos of Diddy in court, even with fake descriptions like he fainted or broke down. None of that is true, okay? Anytime you see what appears to be a picture of Sean Combs in court, especially in an orange jumpsuit. It's fake. You know why? There are no cameras allowed in federal court. There is no released audio from court. There is no photography allowed in that court. The most we get our courtroom sketches, even though Sean Combs took offense to how he was being illustrated, said that he looked like a koala.

That was the reports. Anyway, we have the courtroom sketches. And of course, we have our incredible breakdowns from our in court reporter Elizabeth Milner. Every day, we do our daily recap sidebar episodes about what happened in court. Anytime you see any photo purporting to be taken from his criminal trial, it's not true. It's fake. Now here's the thing about Justin Bieber, okay? You know why we're seeing this? Because there's been a lot of speculation that Justin Bieber was an alleged victim of Diddy in some capacity. You see, the now 31 year old was discovered when he was just 12 years old. He went on to become one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. He had some pretty high-profile influences like R&B superstar Usher, who became Justin's mentor,

and controversial record executive Scooter Braun, who was his manager as the teen shot to superstardom. But among his celebrity acquaintances was Sean Combs, who had been, by the way, Usher's mentor in the 90s and early 2000s. And Bieber spent some time with Sean Combs over the years. Combs' wild party lifestyle, it's always been something of an open secret with him often joking about it on daytime and late-night talk shows. And it's that party lifestyle that people made a connection to Justin Bieber. I'll get to that in a second. But it's really what happened right when the trial started. that was interesting because Bieber's representatives told TMZ, quote,

although Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims, there are individuals who are genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this really detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve. Now, maybe he did this because he knew his name might improperly come up in speculation as the trial started and there were already fake videos online and rumors about him planning to testify. So none of that was true.

maybe he wanted to set the record straight. And particularly since, over the last, what, year and a half, aside from the criminal charges, Sean Combs has faced a plethora of lawsuits. And there have been allegations in those lawsuits that he abused not only men, but also minors. So you can see why people are making the connection, even though there is no evidence to support that when it comes to Justin Bieber and he's innocent and so proven guilty. And also he has been found liable in any of these civil cases, but also used her Justin Bieber come out. His representative say he's not a victim of Sean Combs.

But why do people think that? Well, for example, when Justin Bieber was 15 years old, he uploaded a video to his YouTube channel called 48 Hours with Diddy, where he said he was going to be hanging out with the rapper for a couple of days. So check this out, you know, Justin, he's in, you ever seen the movie 48 hours? Right now he's having 48 hours with Diddy, him and his boy, they're having the times of their lives, like, you know, where we're hanging out and what we're doing, we can't really disclose, but it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream. Was it a skit? Was it weird? Whatever you want to call

it, people have thoughts. There was also this, this interaction that reportedly took place in 2021. And in the video, Bieber with shaggy hair under a baseball cap, greets Diddy. He's got a big smile on his face, but there's something that seems a little strange, a little off about the whole thing, because Combs seems to pat Bieber's chest. You got some people thinking that, and speculating that he was making sure Bieber wasn't wearing a wire. Then he puts his head on his shoulder, appearing to be in quiet conversation. So it's stuff like this that led people to believe incorrectly or assert that he was a part of this trial. And this again is probably why he wanted to put out a statement as this trial began. And by the way, I got to say, if you want real AI

videos of what actually happened in court, on our law and crime YouTube page, our channel, we published generative AI videos of actual witness testimony and opening statements. that use the exact courtroom transcript. So it's our best way to try to recreate what the testimony was maybe like in that courtroom. You can go check it out right now. Also, talking misinformation, talking celebrities. If you go on social media, particularly TikTok, you may get the incorrect impression, the wrong impression that Ben Affleck testified at Sean Diddy Combs' trial

or was a part of this case in some way. Not true either. You see, people make that connection because the actor famously was married to pop superstars, an actress Jennifer Lopez, who famously dated Sean Combs from 1991 to 2001. And that was a time when, by the way, she was connected to a high-profile legal matter. The infamous 1999 New York City nightclub shooting, Combs was there with J-Lo around Christmas time when there was some sort of argument, weapons were drawn, shots rang out, bullets hitting at least three innocent bystanders, including a woman named Natanya Rubin.

She would actually go on to testify against Combs at trial in 2001 saying she saw the rapper, fire a gun. Now, Combs' bodyguard, Anthony Jones and Lopez, they were chased by police when they left the scene and a stolen gun was found in the car when they stopped. Lopez was detained, which is why we have this rather unflattering mugshot of her, but charges weren't pursued. And Jones, Combs, and a former bad boy rapper named Shine Barrow all went to trial. Prosecutors alleged that Combs was the one who opened fire, then tried to bribe the driver of the car to take the fall for having the gun. Jones and Combs, they were eventually acquitted of the charges they were facing, but Shine was convicted of assault and reckless endangerment for the shooting, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison,

was released in 2009. But there are those online who say, well, given all of the allegations that Combs has faced at his criminal trial and in the mountain of civil lawsuits that he faces, Lopez has to be a witness, right? She must know something. Well, first of all, there is no evidence to support that. But also from a legal, practical point of view, the timeline of their relationship doesn't match up to the allegations in the criminal indictment. So they dated from 1999 to 2001, but the indictment says that it was from 2004 to 2024 that Combs and others were members of a criminal organization that engaged in all sorts of illegal activities. And so that timeline doesn't overlap. And there was more speculation that

Affleck and Lopez, you know, they may have split last year in 2024 after Combs was sued by Cassie and others. And there was speculation that he was being investigated by the the feds and that Ben Affleck didn't want a part of this or he was angry, Jennifer Lopez. Again, no evidence to support that's why they broke up or whether it even came up with any of their conversations whatsoever. And no, Lopez and Affleck do not play a role in this criminal trial or the allegations. But it really doesn't stop there because you go online. There are reportedly fake courtroom sketches of Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey testifying at Combs' trial. Misinformation video suggesting Murphy told the jury, I left Hollywood because of Diddy.

Another video was apparently published by Carrie falsely testifying that he once took a bath with Diddy to get famous and testified, did he own me? Let me be very, very clear. All of this is fake. Neither Murphy nor Carrie have testified at this trial or alleged anything like this. Actually, here is the closest to Eddie Murphy being a part of this trial. During cross-examination of Cassandra Ventura, alleged victim number one in this case, when she was questioned why or how she may have been upset, that she wasn't incorporated into Sean Combs' family life. Remember, she had a relationship with him.

There was this text that she apparently sent Sean Combs and was read in part. As much as you think you're Bruce Willis, you aren't. He's married, and before he was married, the family as a whole went on trips together, or just with him and his woman. Eddie Murphy and Page took his kids away on their own. He didn't go with his ex because that's not who he's in love with. I've been at the edge of tears this whole week.

I don't think that you sympathize with my feelings. I understand you feeling like you need to protect your children, but after a while, for what? It's like for what? They've never known you and Kim to be together unless there's something that I just don't know about. And yes, this actually goes to another issue too. There seems to be a misconception about what this trial was going to be about. It seems to me, based on the chatter online and even people that I've talked to in the lead-up to this trial and during the trial, that every ditty party, every white party was going to be mentioned,

and all the celebrities who allegedly participated in illegal sex acts were going to be exposed. Not the case. This is a very, very specific prosecution. This is about several select alleged victims and witnesses and how they were allegedly subjected to abuse and or sex trafficking for a period of time. Again, that window 2004 to 2004. We're talking about alleged victims like Cassie and Jane, who independently testified that they were pressured by Combs into performing freakoffs or hotel nights with male performers or sex workers, that Combs used intimidation and financial control and violence and deception and coercive tactics to get them to do this. Mia, a former assistant who claimed Combs sexually assaulted her.

A former assistant named Capricorn Clark who testified she was essentially kidnapped by Diddy and threatened. Kid Cuddy testified. His testimony supports the allegation that his car was blown up by Sean Combs. Brianna Bungolan claims Combs dangled her off a balcony. Stylist Deontay Nash testified he observed the alleged abuse of Cassie. Combs' former assistant David James testified that Combs essentially blackmailed him. That's what this case is about. There was testimony from Don Rashard that Combs beat up Cassie in front of Neo and Usher and Jimmy Iveen.

But this case is not about celebrities. It's not a celebrity fest. Sure, his connections, his power, his influence. It does go into power dynamics in a sex trafficking or racketeering case. But this is not about just listing and mentioning. or allegedly accusing every celebrity. There are mentions of celebrities in this trial, for sure. Capricorn Clark testified that she saw Cassie as the talent of a studio artist

rather than legends like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Mia testified that she had been Mike Myers personal assistant. Shug Knight was mentioned multiple times because it was alleged that Combs at one point had left with guns to confront Shug Knight, his rival at Mel's Diner. That's a big allegation in this case. Capricorn Clark mentioned Naz and Calice. She was asked during her testimony, did you ever walk in Central Park other than that one time with Mr. Combs?

She replied earlier that day, we, he was giving me the run of the, you know, run of the show, what the job would be like. And we walked from the east side of the park to the west side of the park, and we ran into Naz and Calice in the middle of the park. Deante Nash testified about rapper French Montana, saying he was signed to Bad Boy when he himself had worked for Diddy. He also testified that A-list rappers were on Cassie's mixtape

Back in the day, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Meek Mill. Nash also testified about Cassie's brief fling or flirting or romantic relationship with actor Michael B. Jordan said that he introduced them. Even Cassie testified that Combs suspected she was dating Jordan while she was on a break with the rat mogul. And there were more celebrities that were mentioned too. But by the way, being mentioned in the Sean Combs criminal case doesn't mean that a celebrity is aware or involved in any alleged crime. Let me be clear about that too. But again, saying all that, celebrities are not what this case is about or exposing celebrities. Sean Combs is the sole defendant.

It's about his staff, assistants, bodyguards that allegedly work with him to commit crimes and cover them up. The prosecution probably didn't want to make this case so broad as to distract the jurors or take them away from the specific allegations and elements of the charges. Although I will say, the closest that we've seen to something was an allegation made by accuser Jane. Now, she testified to something very, very interesting yesterday that while she was on a break with Sean Combs, she apparently went on this unidentified rapper's private jet to Vegas in January of 2024. And while there, she was at this party in a hotel room where a sex worker that she allegedly used with Combs, named Anton, was apparently having sex with a woman while this rapper and others were watching. And he had also with him his girlfriend or his wife, and that Anton maybe had a relationship with this

rapper and his partner. This rapper was identified by the defense as, quote, an icon in the music industry and that Jane was asked by them if they knew anyone in the lifestyle. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean this is sex trafficking or racketeering or anything like that, but just really interesting that we're hearing that because Jane claims she recommended a certain and male performer to them. Now let me say this too. I do the lunchtime show on a long crimes YouTube page. We do it every day. We do a breakdown of what's happening in court for the day. We bring on Elizabeth Milner. We bring on guests and we take your questions. Fantastic questions. And I will tell you, I've been getting a lot of questions about this whole case

since it started. But really, I want to set the record clear on a couple of things just based on the questions we've been getting. There seems to be some misconceptions out there. First of all, we get a lot of commentary on Kim Porter. So this is Combs' former love interest who died in 2018 from low bar pneumonia. And there have been conspiracy theories and allegations that Combs was somehow responsible for Kim Porter's death. So not only is there no credible evidence to support that, and we've even dedicated sidebars to showing how that is incredibly unlikely, but there's been this idea that his alleged role in her death would come up at this trial. That's not the case. That hasn't been brought up. Really, the most significant role that Kim Porter plays in this case was

whether or not she was a source of jealousy for Cassie in her relationship with Sean Combs and how Porter's Memorial was the last time Cassie had seen Sean Combs. There's also, by the way, based on the questions we've been getting, there's been this thought that Diddy is going to name names, right? First of all, that really wouldn't serve him any benefit from a legal point of view. It's not like if he, for argument's sake, would name the names of powerful people who were allegedly involved in illegal sexual activities, that that would necessarily benefit him legally. The prosecution is about to finish up their criminal case against him. Sure, he could take

a plea deal at any point, but it's very different from taking a deal at the beginning of trial or before trial to now and any leverage that he would have to be a cooperating witness for more favorable treatment. I got to make the argument. I feel like that ship is seemingly sailed. And by the way, he's the top of the organization. It would it make sense. He is accused of being the leader of a criminal organization. He's the big fish. He's at the top. Who else would you want to get? he's the only one charged in a racketeering conspiracy case. Also, by the way, this presumes there are others that he would even be able to provide information about. It presumes that there are other celebrities or high power people that should be charged. Now, true, he's charged with

racketeering conspiracy, right? This criminal agreement with others, a criminal association with others, to engage in a pattern of legal activity and cover it up to protect himself, to benefit him, to benefit his businesses. So theoretically, others could have been charged, But they aren't. But the government is really focusing on this case, on the staff, the inner circle who allegedly helped and facilitate Sean Combs purported crimes, not so much celebrities or high-profile people. Also, by the way, this presumes that he would take the stand, right? He may, it's very, very unlikely, given all the risk involved, particularly in being questioned by the prosecution during cross-examination, and perhaps there's little benefit in him taking the stand. So the idea that he's going to spill the beans on everyone, I think we can throw some water on that as well. One more thing. As we talk about the danger of misinformation in a case is public and high profile and high interest and sensitive and important as this one, this whole business of fake AI is spreading in the entertainment area too.

Do you hear about this? Judge Faith Jenkins from divorce court and her husband, R&B singer Kenny Latimore, they are now facing their own AI battle apparently. According to reporting from the Jasmine brand and your web, they reportedly filed the lawsuit. against YouTubers who allegedly published videos featuring AI-generated content, fake court filings, and fake quotes, all to make it seem like there are issues in their marriage and their relationship. They apparently posted on Instagram, quote, Today we filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County to hold anonymous YouTubers accountable

for the defamation and harassment they've directed at our family and personal lives. For weeks, we remain silent, but that silence should not be mistaken for acceptance. This legal action isn't about us. it's about setting a precedent. No one should be allowed to profit from defamation on their platform while hiding behind anonymity. We remain focused on our family, our work, and raising a very precocious two-year-old. Any inquiries should be directed to our attorney, Felton Newell of Newell Law Group,

a trusted and experienced advocate on our team. With love, Faith in Kenny. If true, scary stuff. Okay. But we'll tell you what. We here at Sidebar, at Law and Crime, we will always try to keep. keep an eye out for false information swirling about these big stories and set the record straight. We appreciate you all coming to us and trusting us. But that's all we have for you

right now here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. Speak to you next time. You can binge all episodes of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.