The criminal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been underway for one month, and the world continues to be gripped by the case. More associates from his past have been called to testify in court. Diddy is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution and, if found guilty, faces a life sentence. He has pleaded not guilty in court and denies all allegations.
Along with his ex-girlfriend of 10 years Cassie Ventura, who attended court with her husband Alex Fine while she was eight months pregnant, others called to testify include a former escort hired by Diddy called Daniel Phillip, Cassie's friend Bryana ‘Bana’ Bongolan, and the music mogul's former assistants David James and another person testifying as 'Mia'.
Who is Diddy's former assistant 'Mia'?
Mia worked as an assistant for Diddy for several years. She faced cross-examination in court last week after accusing her former employer of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. Mia also alleges forced labour, which are claims that are crucial for Diddy's racketeering charge.
She used to manage Diddy's social media presence including posting for his birthday and claims she was punished if Diddy didn't think she was doing a good job.
The defence repeatedly asked Mia why she stayed working for Diddy despite the alleged assaults and she replied, 'Because when he was happy, I was safe.'
What did Mia testify in court about Diddy?
Mia said she has no choice but to testify against Diddy because she doesn't want her younger, female loved ones to turn a blind eye to sexual assault. 'I can't look my niece or my goddaughters in the eye... in the future if they happen to be in this situation,' she told the court.
She went on to describe her feelings of fear talking about her alleged experiences with Diddy. 'It's the worst thing I have ever had to talk about in my life,' she said.
Mia testified that there was a time when Diddy slammed a door on her arm and continued to apply pressure, leaving her bruised. She said her only interaction with his HR team was them enforcing a punishment he wanted.
She was later asked if she was scared of being killed and Mia told the court Diddy had threatened her life and physically assaulted her.
Mia also told the court that Diddy stole their phones and put a tracking device on Cassie's car. She added that she wasn't sure what Combs was capable of and that she was 'terrified'.
During her testimony, she was regularly questioned by the defence about a series of 'praise and adoration' she had shared with and about Diddy before he was arrested.
The witness said she was 'terrified and brainwashed' while working for Diddy, which prevented her from coming forward sooner. It was only when others came forward that she felt it was safe to do so. 'It's been a long process,' she said. 'I'm still untangling these things. I'm in therapy.'
What did Mia testify about Diddy's relationship with Cassie?
Mia was also asked about her observations of Diddy's relationship with Cassie, who has previously alleged he subjected her to a decade of control and abuse.
However, Mia testified that she only recalls Cassie being upset after seeing Diddy with another woman while she was filming in South Africa. She says Diddy's alleged infidelities were 'not clear' to Cassie, as far as she knew.
Mia claims she contacted Cassie after she filed her initial civil lawsuit against Diddy in 2023, which was settled out of court for $20million, but did not open up about her own alleged experiences. 'I was still deeply shamed and wanted to die with this,' the court heard.
While Diddy denied Cassie's allegations when she first reported them, in May 2024 a CCTV video emerged of him violently kicking her outside their hotel room in 2016. The following day he issued an apology on social media and the video was played as evidence of Combs' behaviour during his trial.
Who else did Mia work for?
After leaving her job with Diddy, Mia said she went to mediation and originally asked for $10 million. They eventually settled for $400,000 with her lawyers retaining half of that amount, Mia said.
She went on to work as an assistant for Madonna for eight months.
Why did Mia testify under a fake name?
As is her constitutional right, Mia chose to remain anonymous during her testimony. However, a camera in the courtroom showed the witness's face for about 30 seconds, despite a judge's order that her face not be shown or even drawn by sketch artists.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).