20/20 The After Show: Inside the Courtroom with Brian Buckmire

Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Deborah Roberts (B)
Guest: Brian Buckmire (C), ABC News Legal Contributor, practicing defense attorney, and host of "Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy"

Overview

This episode of 20/20’s After Show offers listeners a compelling behind-the-scenes look into the world of courtroom reporting and legal analysis. Host Deborah Roberts sits down with Brian Buckmire — a defense attorney, legal commentator, and podcast host — to explore his journey to the legal profession, his unique experiences blending legal practice with media work, and his insights into high-profile trials, including the federal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Buckmire discusses the gravitas of defending the accused, navigating the intersection of law and media, and the evolving impact of forensic science on criminal justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brian Buckmire’s Path to Law and Media

[00:34 – 03:03]

• Background:
  • Born in Toronto to Jamaican and Grenadian immigrant parents.
  • Came to the U.S. on a soccer scholarship (played Division 1 & 2).
  • Attended Hofstra Law, transferred to Washington and Lee, then started his legal career at the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn.
  • Oldest of three siblings, father to a young son, and married.

"If you are familiar with Jamaican mothers, you've got three choices: doctor, lawyer, or teacher... I picked up both [a book and a ball]." – Brian Buckmire [02:00]

2. Motivation for Law & Justice

[03:03 – 04:17]

• Defining Role of Law: Law defines how people interact, enables justice and equity, and protects freedoms—often requiring advocacy.
• Personal Inspiration:
  • Inspired by witnessing family and community experience racial profiling.
  • Anecdote about an uncle stopped by police for not having a receipt for a winter jacket; highlighted the power (and peril) of the legal system.

"The law is how we decide how we interact with each other... There are many situations where we don't have the freedoms or the rights unless we have someone advocating for you." – Brian Buckmire [03:19]

3. Inside the Diddy Trial: Law, Media, and Public Fascination

[04:17 – 09:04]

• Podcast Segment: Clip from "Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy" where Buckmire describes the stark contrast between Diddy’s former lifestyle and his pre-trial detention.

"In Diddy's old life, he could choose which of his many homes... Now Diddy's in the Metropolitan Detention center..." – Brian Buckmire [04:35]

• Why the Public Is Captivated:
  • Diddy’s generational celebrity status—a rise and dramatic fall from grace.
  • The case connected generations, from Buckmire’s parents to younger relatives.
  • Real-life scandal and scandalous video (“the Cassie video”) added massive public intrigue.

"The story of fall from grace is as old as time... When we see someone reach a pinnacle and then somehow lose it because of something they did or didn't do, it gravitates us as an audience to watch." – Brian Buckmire [05:53]

• Unique Perspective as Lawyer/Media Contributor:
  • Sometimes mistaken for a practicing attorney in court while serving as media.
  • Gave ABC’s team insider access (e.g., weekly visits to MDC as a defense attorney) and narrative depth.

4. Perspectives on Defense Work & Misunderstandings About Trials

[10:35 – 14:40]

• Dual Roles:
  • Must anticipate prosecution arguments to provide a strong defense.
  • Strives to make complex legal proceedings accessible and interesting for viewers.

"If I don't know the prosecution's best argument, I'm not doing my job. So I have to think about what the prosecutor's gonna do..." – Brian Buckmire [11:07]

• Defending the “Least of Us”:
  • Deeply motivated by Martin Niemöller's poem "First They Came For..."—the importance of standing up for marginalized people.
  • The slippery slope if anyone's rights are neglected.

"If I don't stand up for the least of us, then no one will stand up for the rest of us... It's a very short and slippery slope that all of our constitutional rights may be infringed upon..." – Brian Buckmire [13:27]

• Common Misconceptions About Trials:
  • Television and media make legal processes seem swift and complete, but most real cases leave unanswered questions.
  • Motives (e.g., in the Brian Kohberger case) or full closure often never materialize in reality.

"This is not an episode of Law & Order. Like, we're not going to get all the answers... Sometimes you gotta be okay with that." – Brian Buckmire [14:05]

5. Forensic Science and the Evolution of Investigations

[14:40 – 16:00]

• Technological Advances:
  • DNA and cell phone data have become pivotal in solving or exonerating cases.
  • Investigative genetic genealogy can identify suspects or families decades later.

"Getting samples from a hair—well, not technically the hair, the skin cell on the base of the hair—and how that can create a profile that can identify you in a family tree. And that, to me, is fascinating..." – Brian Buckmire [15:13]

• Implications for Justice:
  • Technology now enables both exoneration of the wrongfully accused and closure for long-unsolved cases.

6. The Personal Stakes of Legal and Media Work

[17:05 – 18:41]

• What’s More Stressful: Courtroom or TV?

  • Brian admits media appearances are often more stressful than practicing law (“I still feel like a fish out of water.” [17:28])
  • Still identifies primarily as an attorney, despite frequent TV work.

• Cases He Wished He Worked On:

  • Sometimes wishes he could have defended specific high-profile clients, though he refrained from naming cases due to legal ethics and privacy.

"There are definitely a case that I wish and I did not outwardly say that I could do the case, but I think my posture definitely suggested to the client that I could have taken the case..." – Brian Buckmire [18:28]

Notable Quotes

• "The law is how we decide how we interact with each other. The law is how we find equity or justice or equality." – Brian Buckmire [03:19]
• "The story of fall from grace is as old as time..." – Brian Buckmire [05:53]
• "If I don't stand up for the least of us, then no one will stand up for the rest of us." – Brian Buckmire [13:27]
• "This is not an episode of Law & Order. Like, we're not going to get all the answers..." – Brian Buckmire [14:05]
• "Getting samples from a hair… and how that can create a profile that can identify you in a family tree. And that, to me, is fascinating…" – Brian Buckmire [15:13]
• "I still feel like a fish out of water. I feel most comfortable after all these years... as an attorney." – Brian Buckmire [17:28]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:34] – Show intro and guest introduction.
• [02:00] – Buckmire’s early life and journey into law.
• [03:19] – What drew him to legal defense and justice.
• [04:35] – Clip from “Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy.”
• [05:53] – Why Diddy’s case fascinates the public.
• [07:51] – Navigating the dual roles of lawyer and media observer.
• [11:07] – The importance of knowing both sides in a case.
• [13:27] – The guiding philosophy behind public defense.
• [14:05] – Debunking popular misconceptions about trials.
• [15:13] – Advances in forensic technology and their impact.
• [17:19] – Stress of courtroom versus being on TV.
• [18:12] – Cases Brian wished he could have defended.

Conclusion

This After Show episode sheds light on both the inner workings of the American courtroom and the personal convictions of a leading legal analyst. Brian Buckmire’s candid reflections combined with his in-depth legal knowledge make for an engaging, educational, and humanizing discussion about justice, media, and the power of advocacy both in and out of court.