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Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs was once the life of the party. He was known for hosting lavish and exclusive gatherings in the Hamptons, having seemingly countless celebrity pals and toasting to the good life with powerful allies in the music industry.<\/p>\n
Yet a question remains as opening statements approach next week in his federal sex-trafficking trial: Why haven\u2019t more of his famous friends come to his defense?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe music industry is fickle,\u201d said Ramal \u201cThe Hometown Heat\u201d Brown, a former hip-hop disc jockey at 105.3 KJAMZ in Tulsa, Oklahoma. \u201cEveryone wants to be around when you\u2019re on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
Follow live updates on the Diddy trial<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n But when a video of Combs beating his former girlfriend Casandra \u201cCassie\u201d Ventura was aired by celebrity.land last year, \u201cnobody wanted to be around because it could tarnish their image and name,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing around Diddy could get you implicated in the case.\u201d<\/p>\n After the video <\/strong>aired, Combs apologized publicly, saying his behavior in it was \u201cinexcusable\u201d and that he took full responsibility for his actions.<\/p>\n Combs is charged in a five-count indictment with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n Opening statements in the federal trial in Manhattan are expected to begin next week.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s case centers on allegations that Combs forced women to participate in drug-fueled sexual encounters with male sex workers that he directed and filmed. He called the sex parties \u201cfreak offs,\u201d prosecutors said.<\/p>\n In addition to the federal charges, Combs has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct in more than 50 civil lawsuits, including one filed by Ventura in 2023 that was privately settled within a day.<\/p>\n His attorney said the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing, and Combs has vehemently denied the allegations in the pending civil suits.<\/p>\n The past year has seen a stark turn of events for the hitmaker, who has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards over three decades while turning unknown musicians, such as Ma$e, Total and Carl Thomas, into platinum-selling recording artists.<\/p>\n During jury selection last week, as the magnitude of the moment began to mount, Combs appeared to nervously look around the courtroom and asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian for a bathroom break.<\/p>\n No celebrity supporters have shown up in court during jury selection.\u00a0Being associated with Combs and his federal case is risky and can only tarnish the burnished images of A-list celebrities, music experts said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople aren\u2019t speaking out because they don\u2019t want any level of implication,\u201d said Gerrick Kennedy, a freelance journalist and culture critic based in Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/p>\n Madison Gray, a former website editor for Black Entertainment Television, said he thinks many of Combs\u2019 associates have distanced themselves because of the heinous acts he\u2019s accused of.<\/p>\n \u201cCelebrity friends and powerful friends scatter. Nobody wants to be attached,\u201d said Gray, pointing to similar scenarios when Bill Cosby and R. Kelly faced legal battles. \u201cWhen things are good, the parties are great, the liquor is flowing. But as soon as something goes wrong, friendships are fleeting.\u201d<\/p>\n Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has been one of Combs\u2019 staunchest celebrity supporters leading up to the trial, defending him online on multiple occasions and accusing Ventura, who was once signed to Combs\u2019 record label, of attempting to pressure him for money.<\/p>\n Ye accused Ventura of attempting to extort Combs in a since-deleted post on X on March 18.<\/p>\n Ventura responded the next day by resharing a post from the culture website Shade Room showing a screenshot of rapper Playboi Carti telling Ye to shut up. Ventura\u2019s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment this week.<\/p>\n Ye\u2019s comments came amid controversy over a slew of posts<\/a> on X in which he made hate-filled remarks about the Jewish community and said \u201cI love Hitler\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m a Nazi.\u201d<\/p>\n Former in-house Bad Boy Records producer Stevie J has also expressed support for Combs, calling many of the civil lawsuits filed against his ex-boss \u201cbogus\u201d and saying he prays for Combs and his family every day.<\/p>\n \u201cI never knew of an instance where you\u2019ll be guilty before you even go to f—–g court,\u201d he told the\u00a0entertainment YouTube channel VladTV<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m never going to stop being there for someone I consider to be a friend. I\u2019m not going to turn my back. I\u2019ve been scrutinized just by being a friend. I guess someone has never had a true friend before.\u201d<\/p>\n Singer Ray J has acknowledged attending Combs\u2019 parties in multiple interviews but said he never saw any freak offs or orgies.<\/p>\n