NEWS
Fans and supporters of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs have celebrated his recent acquittal of sex trafficking charges by dousing themselves in baby oil outside of a New York courthouse.
Yesterday, a jury reached a verdict for the trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – finding him guilty of transportation for prostitution, but innocent of racketeering and sex trafficking.
The rapper and music mogul pleaded not guilty to all five charges – including one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of transportation for prostitution and two counts of sex trafficking.
Following the jury’s verdict, fans of the rapper and mogul who were outside of the courthouse, erupted into cheers and celebration, including several of them pouring baby oil onto their bodies. Signs and merchandise with the words “A freako, not a R.I.C.O” were also visible.
Fans’ use of baby oil was a reference to the thousands of baby oil bottles that were seized by authorities from Diddy’s Los Angeles and Miami homes in the lead-up to the trial. The baby oil played a major role in the case, as prosecution and witnesses detailed its use during Diddy’s infamous “freak offs”.
Clips shared on social media see a group of fans outside the courthouse pouring baby oil on themselves and others as they celebrated the verdict.
The trial has been running since May, and the vast majority of the court time has been centred around the prosecution’s case. On the charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking of Cassie Venture, and sex trafficking of a woman going by the name “Jane”, Diddy was found not guilty.
He was found guilty, however, of transportation for prostitution of Ventura and others, and of transportation for prostitution of “Jane” and others. The transportation to engage in prostitution charge carries the least time in prison compared to what he could have been served, and the maximum amount of time he now faces in jail is 10 years for each charge.
After the verdict was shared, Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo, argued that the hip-hop mogul should walk out of the court as a free man following months of being in a federal jail. He also suggested that Diddy being acquitted on the most serious charges means that he should be allowed to be released and be able to live in his Florida home on a $1million (£734,700) bond.
The rapper has since been denied bail, and will remain in jail until his sentencing. The trial’s judge has suggested the sentencing take place on October 3, but will consider an earlier date per Reuters.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
Madonna revealed that she saw her late mother "on the other side" while she was in a medically induced coma in 2023.
In a conversation on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast on Monday, the Queen of Pop explained that she was treated in intensive care and remained in a coma for two days after doctors discovered a "serious bacterial infection" that developed after a mild fever.
Thinking back to the health scare, Madonna shared that she experienced a vision of her mother, also named Madonna Ciccone, who lost her life to breast cancer in December 1963.
"I was almost there on the other side, and I had a conscious moment," she said. "My mother appeared to me, and she said, 'Do you want to come with me?' And I said, 'No.'"
She added that her assistant was present in the room and heard her say the word, "No."
"And then, when I did eventually wake up, I realised that the 'no' was about me needing to forgive and make good with people that I still held grudges against," the 67-year-old explained.
One of the long-standing conflicts she chose to release was her troubled relationship with her brother Christopher Ciccone.
The artist passed away from pancreatic cancer at 63 in October 2024.
"For my brother, I didn't speak to him for, you know, for years, years, and years. And it was him being ill (and) reaching out to me and saying, 'I need your help.' And me having that moment like, 'Am I going to help my enemy?' You know, that's how it felt. And I just did," the Ray of Light singer said. "And I ended up (helping) and I felt so relieved. And it was such a load off my back, such a weight that was removed, baggage that I could put down to finally be able to be in a room with him and holding his hand, even if he was dying and saying, 'I love you and I forgive you.' That was really important."
