Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared before a judge as jury selection for his sex trafficking trial began in New York City on Monday, May 5.
In courtroom sketches obtained by Us Weekly, Diddy’s hair and beard appear to have gone fully gray, as hair dye is not allowed in the detention center where he’s being held. The rapper, 55, was also dressed in civilian clothing, including a white button-down shirt, dark sweater and light-colored slacks. (The judge previously gave him permission to wear street clothes rather than the jail uniform he’s worn at other court appearances.)
During the first day of jury selection, potential jurors were asked how familiar they were with the case and answered questions about their schedules, as the judge expects the trial to last for at least eight weeks.
Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all of the allegations against him.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement at the time. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
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Since his arrest, Diddy has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His four requests for bail were denied by Judge Arun Subramanian.
Diddy has not been photographed since before his arrest last year. After seeing him at a hearing in December 2024, Law & Crime reporter Elizabeth Millner claimed the rapper “appeared just astonishingly thinner, which you can expect [from him being] inside a federal detention center for a couple of months now.”
She added: “A lot different from the luxury lifestyle that he was living before, but [he] appeared very noticeably thinner and maybe being locked up in detention is starting to weigh on him.”
An insider, meanwhile, told Us Weekly at the time that Diddy was “fit, healthy and fully focused on his defense,” adding, “He has been very active, remains in good spirits, and, as always, he was happy to see his children.”
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Diddy is the father of seven children. He shares eldest son Justin, 31, with ex Misa Hylton. Diddy and the late Kim Porter shared son Christian, 27, and he also adopted Porter’s son Quincy Brown, 33, during their relationship. They also welcomed twins D’Lila and Jessie, 18. (Porter died at age 47 in 2018.) Diddy and Sarah Chapman share daughter, Chance, 18. His youngest child is a daughter named Love, 2, whom he shares with Dana Tran.
The mogul’s older children have supported him throughout his legal ordeal, sharing a joint statement defending him in October 2024.
“The past month has devastated our family,” they wrote. “Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media. We stand united, supporting you every step of the way. We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family. WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU DAD.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
