ACTOR Michael B. Jordan will not testify at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial despite his name being included on a list of 190 celebrities and public figures presented to possible jurors, according to reports.
Jordan’s name was brought up on the first day of jury selection as a pool of potential jurors were quizzed on their knowledge of a list of celebrities who could be referenced during the eight-week trial.
Jordan, 38, will not be called to testify against Combs, according to Rolling Stone.
The Creed actor’s name was included on the list because he had a brief relationship with Combs’ ex, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura in 2015, the outlet reported.
In her 2023 complaint against Combs, 55, Ventura claimed that during a break in their on-and-off relationship, she “began a flirtatious relationship with an actor” while in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2015.
The actor’s name was not mentioned in the lawsuit, but media outlets reported the movie star was Jordan.
Ventura, 38, further claimed she spent New Year’s Eve with the actor, and when Combs learned of the relationship, he “called the actor and threatened him.”
The lawsuit states, “The actor proceeded to call Ms. Ventura and tell her, ‘You really need to call [Mr. Combs].'”
Jordan’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.
JURY SELECTION UNDERWAY
A pool of potential jurors was going through a rigorous vetting process by federal prosecutors and defense attorneys as day two of jury selection continued on Tuesday.
On day one, possible jurors were given a 17-page form with 31 questions asking if they or a family member or a friend had been victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or domestic violence.
Jurors were also grilled on their knowledge of Combs, his celebrity status, and details of the federal indictment he’s facing.
In addition to the questions, jurors also received a list of people and places connected to Combs in various ways and who could come up during the trial.
The list of people included high-profile names like rappers Kid Cudi and Kanye West, Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams, actors Mike Myers and Lauren London, and singer Dawn Richard, who was previously signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records.
‘DIDDY’S RAGE’
It’s reported rapper Kid Cudi was previously in a romantic relationship with Ventura.
Cudi is also believed to be a victim of an alleged car bombing by Combs in 2011.
Ventura claimed that during a “rough patch” with Combs she had a brief relationship with Cudi but the Bad Boy Records executive “became enraged” after he found emails between her and the Day ‘N’ Nite rapper, 41.
Ventura went on to claim that Comb warned her that he was going “to blow up Kid Cudi’s car,” and around the same time, Cudi’s car “exploded in his driveway.”
A spokesperson for Cudi confirmed Ventura’s account to The New York Times in 2023, saying, “This is all true.”
REJECTED PLEA DEAL
Combs will be tried over five criminal counts, which include sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy ranging from across a 20-year period.
The former music producer denies all of the allegations against him.
He has continued to plead his innocence since being arrested in September 2024.
Opening arguments are expected to begin on May 12.
Combs turned down a last-minute plea deal just days before the start of his bombshell sex trafficking trial.
The trial will not begin until all 12 members of the jury, including alternate jurors, are seated.
The trial is expected to continue for at least eight weeks.
The evidence against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
The months-long federal sex trafficking probe against Sean Combs has culminated in a searing incictment that was unsealed on Tuesday. Combs has been hit with one count of racketeering and one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution. But behind those legal charges lies a mountain of alleged evidence of menace, violence, and horrific abuse of his fame. The indictment alleges:
- Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
- He “created a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
- The rapper assaulted women by “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them.”
- Combs “manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers” that he called “freak offs.”
- Freak offs “occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.”
- During freak offs, he “distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant.”
- After freak offs, Combs and the victims “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use.”
- In March 2024, during searches of his residences in Miami and Los Angeles, “law enforcement seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.”
- During and separate from Freak Offs, Combs “hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times, by their hair…These assaults often resulted in injuries that took days or weeks to heal.”
- He also used the “sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings” that he made during freak offs as “collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims.”
- Combs himself “brandished firearms to intimidate and threaten others, including victims of and witnesses to his abuse.”
- During searches of his homes, “law enforcement seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, as well as a drum magazine.”
- Associates “assisted him in locating and contacting victims who attempted to flee his abuse.”
- When witnesses to the abuse threatened his authority or reputation, he and members and associates of the enterprise “engaged in acts of violence, threats of violence, threats of financial and reputational harm, and verbal abuse. These acts of violence included kidnapping and arson.”
The famed rapper is accused of abusing several women and leading Bad Boy Records as a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade.
Combs was originally being tried on three criminal charges before an additional two were added.
Prosecutors claim the rapper recruited, transported and forced this victim to engage in sex acts and prostitution from 2021 to 2024.
The 55-year-old has denied the allegations and his legal team has claimed that the activities described were “consensual.”
DISQUALIFIED
Prospective jurors questioned on Tuesday morning were disqualified after lawyers for Combs and prosecutors cited flaws in their answers to questions designed to see if they can be fair and unbiased.
Several who were eliminated from the jury pool had seen or heard media reports related to the case.
This included some who said they saw a video in which Combs was hitting and kicking one of his accusers in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
After the video aired on CNN last year, Combs apologized, saying, “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.
“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
Judge Arun Subramanian was seeking to build a pool of 45 prospective jurors.
