It’s hard to imagine why anyone who stands accused of heinous crimes in court would want their children sat in the gallery, not least when those crimes include sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Yet six out of seven of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ children (the seventh is a baby) attended court this week as his blockbuster trial began in New York. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denies all the allegations against him.
For Combs’ three daughters, Chance, 19, and D’Lila and Jessie, 18, however, there were points during testimony when they felt unable to stay in the room. According to multiple outlets with journalists on the ground, Combs’ daughters left the court room twice while Daniel Phillip, an escort who was hired by Combs on several occasions, addressed the jury and described graphic sexual encounters.
One occasion was when Phillip described Combs masturbating while watching him and Combs’ then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura have sex. The escort alleged that in 2012 or 2013 he had been given ‘a few thousand dollars’ to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched. ‘We ended up having sex, rubbed baby oil on each other for a couple minutes,’ Phillip told jurors, while Combs was ‘sitting in a corner masturbating.’
'Nothing will break the strength of our family'
Combs' Children
Later in court, Ventura testified about her experiences during her 11-year relationship with Combs. The pair met when Ventura was 19 and Combs was 37 and began a romantic relationship shortly after Combs signed her to his record label, Bad Boy Records. In 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging that he subjected her to a pattern of control and abuse for a decade. At the time, he vehemently denied the allegations, but in May 2024 CCTV footage from 2016 was leaked online and showed Combs violently beating and kicking Ventura outside their hotel room.
Combs’ three daughters remained in the courtroom as the video was shown, as did his sons and his mother, Janice Combs. According to reports, Combs’ daughters kept their heads down as the footage played and his sons watched. Sakshi Venkatraman, reporting from court for the BBC, wrote, ‘During all this, the expressions of Combs’ family members in the audience remain steely. Some are wearing sunglasses, while others, like his son King, are staring straight into the monitor without much emotion.’
Ventura, who was there with her husband Alex Fine and is eight months pregnant, told the jury that the sexual encounters known as ‘freak offs’ made her feel ‘horrible’, ‘worthless’ and ‘humiliated’. ‘I wanted to make him happy,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know what “no” could turn into.’ At one point she told the court: ‘Make the wrong face, and the next thing I knew, I would get hit in the face.’
After the assault video was shown, the jury was shown a series of images Ventura had taken after the hotel incident. The images reportedly show sunglasses covering her black eye and swollen lips. Apparently, Combs glanced towards Ventura as she testified, but she did not look back.
It is then revealed that Ventura’s friend was so concerned seeing her after the incident that she called the police. Ventura told the court that the police came to her apartment, but she did not give them Combs’ name. ‘In that moment, I didn’t want to hurt him… I wasn’t ready,’ she said. However, she later sent him a text message that read: ‘You are sick for thinking it’s okay to do what you’ve done. Please stay away from me.’
These are, of course, harrowing stories and allegations. This is a trial that has drawn global attention in part because of Combs’ former status as one of the most powerful moguls in the music industry, and in part because of the serious and grotesque nature of the alleged crimes.
It is difficult to comprehend how it would feel witnessing testimonies of this nature as members of Combs’ own family. Combs’ family has shown up to support him throughout his legal proceedings, however, this is likely to have been the most challenging week so far.
Following their father’s arrest in September, Combs’ older children shared a joint statement in solidarity. ‘The past month has devastated our family,’ they wrote. ‘Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiralled into absurdity on social media. We stand united, supporting you every step of the way. We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family. WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU DAD.’
Combs’ mother Janice has also said she is ‘devastated and profoundly saddened’ by the allegations against her son. ‘To bear witness [to] what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words,’ she told Us Weekly in October 2024.
The family is certainly putting on a united front, but two days into the trial, it is clear that the evidence presented in court is taking an emotional toll – particularly on Combs’ daughters. Unfortunately, Phillip and Ventura’s testimonies are likely just the beginning of what is set to be more than eight gruelling weeks in court.
Combs’ trial continues in New York. He denies all allegations.
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).