NEWS
The Diddy trial had one more witness testimony to hear from before it wrapped up on Monday (May 19). This followed statements from Cassie Ventura, Dawn Richard, a Homeland Security special agent, and Ventura's former best friend Kerry Morgan over the past two weeks.
Per Matthew Russell Lee of the Inner City Press, the court called upon David James, Sean Combs' personal assistant from 2007 to 2009. Lee live-tweeted courtroom updates from the subpoenaed witness, which were caught by Akademiks TV on Instagram.
James described some of his duties as a Bad Boy assistant, such as making logistics spreadsheets and assisting with his travel and other outings. Also, he said that Puff had five "girlfriends" at the time: Kim Porter, Cassie, and women named Sarah, Tara, and Yana.
The former personal assistant alleged that he met Ventura on Star Island with Kerry Morgan. Cassie allegedly said this Diddy lifestyle was "crazy." When asked why she didn't leave, she allegedly said Combs controls her life, her music, and her financial situation, since he was paying for her apartment.
Then, David James recalled an alleged set of statements from the music and business executive. "Kim is my queen, out in L.A. with my family," Combs allegedly remarked. "I have Cassie right where I want her, she's young and moldable."
Beyond witness testimonies from all these individuals, though, other Diddy trial updates relate to evidence in the case. The court recently submitted two sets of photos as trial evidence. These are Ventura's alleged injuries due to Puffy's alleged physical abuse and photos of Combs' hotel room during his September 2024 arrest.
A special agent for the Department of Homeland Security, Yasin Binda, testified concerning the latter set of pictures. Federal authorities allegedly found drugs, baby oil, and lubricant in the hotel room.
Most of the testimonies so far have mostly revolved around Diddy's alleged abuse of Cassie, although this could change very quickly. There are more witnesses to hear from and more evidence to scrutinize in the future. We will see if the prosecution and defense gets closer to the charges in due time.
At the BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), j-hope opened up to ARMY with heartbreaking news. His grandmother, who played a major role in raising him and had always been proud of his journey with the group, has passed away.
Speaking to the packed crowd at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star chose to be open with fans about what he was going through. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, translated from Korean into English. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I felt completely stunned and did not really know how to process it at first, but being around the members, sitting down together for meals, and focusing on rehearsals helped me more than I thought it would,” j-hope went on. “My grandmother was always incredibly proud, not just of me but of all the members. She truly believed in what we do. So I feel like if she was watching from above today, she would have loved every second of it.”
He closed by thanking the audience for making his first performance after the loss feel meaningful and full of support.
BTS are currently touring in support of their new album ARIRANG, which has just earned a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Following three opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group is set to perform twice at the Tokyo Dome before heading abroad for the North American leg. Before the tour wraps in March next year, they will also visit Latin America, Europe, Australia, and several other regions across Asia.
On the same day as the first Tokyo concert, j-hope’s solo interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he spoke about stepping into a leadership presence within the group. “I think that’s my role on the team,” he shared. “It just comes naturally. It feels strange to even call it a role, but I just try to handle things as they come and support the other members in any way I can.”
Additional reporting from Billboard Korea.
