Kid Cudi Is Expected to Testify in the Diddy Trial This Week
Casandra “Cassie” Ventura isn’t the only famous person who has been mentioned in Sean “Diddy” Combs’s federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial. Even before the high-profile trial began, there were signs that other stars might be name-dropped in court; potential jurors were asked during jury selection if they recognized anyone on a list that included celebrities such as Kid Cudi, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Kanye West, and more. On May 20, the prosecution confirmed that it has plans to call Kid Cudi (real name Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi), who briefly dated Cassie in 2011, to take the stand and testify. Here’s what to know about when and why that will happen.
When is Kid Cudi testifying in the Diddy trial?
He will likely take the stand on either May 21 or May 22, depending on how much other witnesses have to say. Three people are expected to testify on Wednesday before Cudi, prosecutor Maurene Comey told the judge on May 20. First up, Homeland Security Investigations special agent Gerard Gannon still needs to finish testimony he started on Tuesday about last year’s federal raid of Diddy’s Miami property. The prosecution is then set to call clinical psychologist Dawn Hughes and former Diddy employee George Kaplan, who Cassie previously testified quit after witnessing physical abuse. “After that we’re planning to call Scott Mescudi, and we think that will take us through the end of the day [Wednesday],” Comey said. “Mr. Mescudi may not get to the stand until even Thursday morning.”
How and why has Kid Cudi’s name come up during Diddy’s trial so far?
Cassie has said that she and Cudi dated in 2011 when she and Diddy were taking a break. According to her testimony on May 14, Diddy “lunged” at her with a bottle opener when he learned about the relationship. She further alleged that Diddy told her that Cudi’s “car would be blown up,” and that he “wanted [Cudi’s] friends to see his car blown up in the driveway.” (One of Diddy’s five criminal counts is a racketeering conspiracy charge for allegedly creating and leading a “criminal enterprise” that engaged in or attempted to engage in illegal acts including arson; he has pleaded not guilty.)
On May 15, Cassie expanded on Diddy’s reaction to her dating Cudi. She said he found out during a “Freak Off,” alleging that he kicked her when she left his house. Cassie recalled going home to Connecticut, where Cudi joined her several days later. But she ultimately decided to break up with Cudi because she felt that it was too dangerous for them to date; she and Diddy got back together soon after. Defense attorney Anna Maria Estevao asked Cassie if Diddy brought up Cudi when she accused him of cheating with other women. “Not always — but frequently,” Cassie replied.
On May 20, Cassie’s mom, Regina Ventura, testified that she paid Diddy $20,000 in late 2011 after receiving a concerning message from her daughter. Regina said she and former Diddy assistant Capricorn Clark had received an email in which Cassie claimed that Diddy had threatened to release two sex tapes of her and have someone hurt her and Cudi. “He made a point that it wouldn’t be by his hand, he actually said he’d be out of the country when it happened,” Cassie wrote. Regina said that to her understanding, Diddy wanted the money back because he had spend that amount on Cassie and was “angry” about her relationship with Cudi.
What did Cassie say about Kid Cudi in her 2023 lawsuit?
She shared a very similar account of his alleged threat to blow up Cudi’s car. The 2023 lawsuit, which Diddy settled for $20 million, stated that Cassie briefly dated Cudi during a “rough patch” in her relationship with Diddy, who was “enraged” when he found out about it While at Paris Fashion Week in February 2012, Diddy allegedly told Cassie that he was going to blow up Cudi’s car. The complaint claims that Cudi’s vehicle did explode in his driveway around that time. (Rolling Stone later obtained a Los Angeles City Fire Department report that corroborated this.)
Did Kid Cudi say anything about Cassie or Diddy before the trial?
After Cassie filed her 2023 lawsuit, Cudi’s spokesperson responded to her account of what happened to his car by issuing a short statement to the New York Times: “This is all true.”
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