One person called to testify in the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who currently faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, is the former exotic dancer, Sharay Hayes. Combs denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty in court.
Hayes, who is also known as 'The Punisher', testified on day seven about his 'freak offs' with Combs and his then on-off girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Ventura has also testified in court and alleged that Combs subjected her to a pattern of control and abuse for a decade during their relationship.
What did Sharay Hayes 'The Punisher' testify in Diddy's trial?
Hayes said he first met Combs and Ventura at a Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City. He explained he did not initially recognise the pair and thought he was there to perform a striptease. But Ventura told him that 'her and [her] husband liked to create a sexy scene' and he testified that she then handed him $800.
He claims he was hired to create 'sexy scenes' with Ventura while a naked Combs watched from the sidelines. In the courtroom, Hayes testified about his first meeting with the couple and said he was 'specifically told to not acknowledge' the man in the room and said Combs wore a veil over his face.
Inside the room, the furniture was covered in sheets and there were 'little bowls' on the floor with bottles of baby oil, the court was told. Sometimes, Ventura would 'wince or sigh' at Combs' suggestions, Hayes said. He added that other times she would look to Combs for 'consent' for certain actions.
According to Hayes' testimonial, he met the pair between eight and 12 times, and eventually recognised who they were. Hayes said he realised who they were when he was waiting for them in a luxury hotel suite and saw Combs' name on the television's welcome screen.
He claims that Ventura and Combs left the room after about half an hour. When she came back, she allegedly asked Hayes if he wanted to 'finish' and he declined. Hayes claimed he was paid an additional $1,200 and left the hotel.
Who else has testified about Diddy's freak offs?
His testimony came a week after Daniel Phillip, a former escort allegedly hired by Combs to have sex with Ventura, shared his experiences with the court. Phillip claims he was paid up to $6,000 (£4,544) for sex sessions with the couple, which went on for a few years and could last as long as 10 hours. He says these events took place in Manhattan's Gramercy Park Hotel, the Jumeirah Essex House and Combs and Ventura's city residences.
Phillip also alleged that on one occasion he saw Combs beat Ventura at her home. The escort said Ventura was trying to get information from her computer when Combs ordered her to the bedroom and she did not run fast enough. 'Mr. Combs came out of the room, and I just saw a bottle fly past her and hit the wall,' he said. 'It looked like a liquor bottle. He, Mr. Combs, walked over the Cassie. He grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her by the hair into her bedroom.'
What did Cassie say about the freak offs?
Ventura, who is eight months pregnant and attended the court with her husband Alex Fine, testified about her experience of the freak offs in court too. 'I had to do freak offs,' she told the court on 16 May, during re-direct on the witness stand. The singer said Combs’ moods 'affected my whole life, my career, how I felt about myself, my self worth'. If Combs wanted a freak off, she testified, her work had to be put on hold.
When Ventura first filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in 2023 alleging that he subjected her to a pattern of control and abuse, it was settled out of court immediately, and she was paid $20 million (£14m). Prosecutor Emily Johnson asked, 'Would you give that money back if it meant you never had to have Freak Offs?'
'If I never had to have Freak Offs, I would have agency and autonomy,' Ventura replied. 'I wouldn’t have had to work so hard to get it back.' She claims she had to perform freak offs even when she had a urinary tract infection and that she was assaulted more than once during them. At this point, court reporters have said, she broke down in tears and explained that she felt she had to take part in freak offs to maintain her relationship with Combs.
Combs' trial continues in New York.
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).