​Dawn Richard Takes the Stand

Summary

Podcast Summary: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial

Introduction and Hosts' Perspective (00:31 – 01:18) The episode begins with hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach introducing Aubrey O’Day as their unique perspective on the high-profile Diddy trial. They emphasize Aubrey's insider knowledge, garnered from her close association with Sean "Diddy" Combs during their time on Making the Band. Aubrey joins them virtually to dissect and analyze the ongoing courtroom proceedings, offering insights that go beyond standard media coverage.

Aubrey’s Insights on Recent Testimonies (01:18 – 02:47) Aubrey discusses the testimonies presented in the latest phase of the trial, highlighting three key witnesses brought in to support Cassie Morgan's claims of force and coercion related to sex trafficking. She notes, “Some of the people on the stand have their own civil cases. Some of some don't” ([02:08]). Aubrey points out that Dawn Richard, her ex-bandmate, testified to establish Cassie's consistent account, stating, “They were able to establish one story seven different ways... I don't believe they were able to poke any holes in her recollection” ([02:47]).

Dawn Richard’s Testimony and Character Assessment (02:47 – 07:16) The discussion shifts to Dawn Richard’s role and credibility. Aubrey reveals her past relationship with Dawn, mentioning, “I thought everybody in the group were my real sisters” ([06:08]). She recounts observing inconsistencies in Dawn's behavior and testimony, stating, “There were just so many inconsistencies. We just don't even know what happened in front of us” ([07:13]). Aubrey critiques Dawn’s credibility, noting that she appeared “inconsistent and not credible” during her courtroom appearance ([05:17]).

Personal Relationship and Conflict with Dawn Richard (07:16 – 15:09) Aubrey delves deeper into her tumultuous relationship with Dawn, describing how their bond deteriorated over time. She recounts a pivotal incident where Dawn assaulted her, leading to a strained and broken friendship. “When she made a comment like, y'all better, you know, watch yourselves...she punched me” ([16:08]). Aubrey explains the emotional and professional fallout from this event, highlighting the betrayal she felt from someone she once considered a sister.

Allegations and Legal Actions (15:09 – 20:08) The conversation turns to the broader implications of the trial, including statutory allegations against Diddy. Aubrey discusses Cassie Morgan’s lawsuit, emphasizing its complexity and the media turmoil it has created. She critiques Cassie’s approach in naming other celebrities in her claims, saying, “If she didn't see something and they aren't doing things like that... it's very problematic” ([15:54]). Aubrey also touches on the public’s reaction and the potential destruction of careers involved in the trial.

Personal Incident and Professional Consequences (20:08 – 23:24) Aubrey shares a personal anecdote about being assaulted by Dawn Richard, detailing the immediate aftermath and her decision to involve authorities. She reflects on the challenges of maintaining integrity and consistency in her personal and professional life amid public scrutiny. “I have to...give her the benefit of the doubt” ([10:53]), she says, highlighting her commitment to fairness despite personal hardships.

Legacy and Emotional Impact (23:24 – 24:50) Aubrey expresses her distress over the dismantling of their collective legacy due to the trial’s revelations. She states, “All of it is a dismantling of a legacy that I'm so proud of that it makes me physically sick” ([23:24]). This sentiment captures the emotional toll the trial has taken on her and her former bandmates, underscoring the profound personal and professional losses experienced.

Additional Testimonies and Context (24:50 – 27:34) The hosts discuss Kerry Morgan’s testimony, Cassie’s best friend, who supported Cassie's allegations without being able to discredit her account. Aubrey ties this to the broader narrative by referencing Diddy’s public statements and the impact on his reputation. She points out nuances in testimonies, such as inconsistencies in witnessing alleged violence, which she finds problematic and damaging to innocent parties’ reputations.

Final Reflections and Closing Thoughts (27:34 – 29:19) In concluding remarks, Aubrey reflects on her journey over the past two decades, emphasizing the importance of integrity and consistency in maintaining her credibility. She acknowledges the ongoing struggle to balance personal experiences with public perception, stating, “As long as my credibility and my consistency, my integrity is aligned with what I know to be true” ([26:32]). The hosts thank Aubrey for her invaluable insights, reinforcing the significance of her contributions to understanding the trial's complexities.

Notable Quotes:

• Aubrey O’Day on Dawn’s credibility: “I have to, as a human, assume that if she's saying she's a victim, I need to give her the benefit of the doubt” ([10:53]).
• Reflection on personal integrity: “As long as my credibility and my consistency, my integrity is aligned with what I know to be true” ([26:32]).
• On dismantling their legacy: “All of it is a dismantling of a legacy that I'm so proud of that it makes me physically sick” ([23:24]).

Conclusion This episode provides an in-depth analysis of the Diddy trial through the lens of Aubrey O’Day, offering listeners a blend of personal anecdotes, courtroom insights, and critical evaluations of key testimonies. By weaving together her experiences with the hosts' probing questions, Aubrey paints a comprehensive picture of the trial's multifaceted impact on individuals and their legacies.

Transcript

[Narrator]

You see the world differently. Where others see empty lots, you see blueprints. Where others sit in lecture halls. Future leaders choose Ferris State University to build something real. Ready to dig in and learn through action. Ferris State gives you the tools, the team and training to unleash your potential with paths to high demand careers and in state tuition for non residents at Ferris State, students don't just study, they build. They lead, they succeed. Visit ferris Edu Ferris State University we build championship Amy Robach and TJ Holmes.

[TJ Holmes]

Present Aubrey o' Day covering the Diddy trial is based on transcripts, sources and reporting from the courtroom.

[Aubrey O'Day]

As is obvious, Aubrey o' Day is not present in the courtroom during the proceedings.

[TJ Holmes]

Amy and TJ presents Aubrey o' Day.

[Amy Robach]

Covering the Diddy trial. Hey there everybody and welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Present Aubrey o' Day covering the Diddy trial. I'm TJ Holmes sitting alongside my partner Amy Robach and robes. We have been covering and I guess really into this Diddy trial more than most. But we have been surprised, shocked to a certain degree at how much we didn't know and how enlightened we have become because of Aubrey o' Day, because we have had her by our side in helping us walk through some of this trial.

[TJ Holmes]

That's right. You can read the transcripts, you can look at all the coverage and still it's not the same until you actually talk with someone who, who was in that inner circle, who was there during those years when all of this was going on and who personally experienced Sean Diddy combs at his best and at his worst. And Aubrey o' Day is that person and it truly sheds light on all the testimony we're hearing in the courtroom.

[Amy Robach]

So thank you Aubrey. Aubrey is sitting here once again right here with us in New York where she is not testifying. We will remind everybody, Lord once again. But before we get into the testimony we saw on now we've launched a second full week of testimony. Now just initial impressions, give us two or three words of what we saw yesterday in court in the testimony.

[Aubrey O'Day]

What you saw yesterday were three people that were utilized to confirm and bring more of driving home the force and coercion part in regards to the sex trafficking basically to validate claims that Cassie made. Some of the people on the stand have their own civil cases. Some them of some don't. There was my ex bandmate Dawn Richard took this stand I believe during her testimony they were able to establish one story seven different ways or something along those lines with Carrie. I don't believe they were able to poke any holes in her recollection of what she witnessed.

[TJ Holmes]

Kerry Morgan, who was Cassie, was Cassie's best friend.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Best friend at the time. And not. Which also allows us to understand that this isn't somebody that's going to side with her nowadays. It's somebody that was an old friend, has come back and testified to him being violent, assaulting her, and actually even being violent toward her as well. And then they had David James, who's a former assistant to Combs. And James was basically starting a little bit to establish for me now this organization of people, because within Cassie, they did show that she was an employee, an employee that was there to. To make 10 albums. And she continued to get paid for those 10 albums as an artist. But she made it very clear early on that she stopped being an artist and she was a full time sex worker. And that the sex work became so horrific that she then had to recover and it would eat up her entire week. So it became her, as she said, full time job. So that's paying somebody that was doing sex work. Now we have another person that works for Diddy that was there too. I forget exactly how he said it. Operate as the chairman to his company in order to make sure that he's able to handle his days.

[TJ Holmes]

Well, he was an assistant.

[Aubrey O'Day]

He was an. Yeah, an assistant, basically. But the way in which he worded it was funny to me. But basically he attested that everything was controlled by Diddy. It was his kingdom. Everyone had to abide by his rules. And he had conversations with Cassie that established that she felt that she couldn't get out.

[Amy Robach]

All right, okay, we're gonna get into some weeds here. Your reaction, but to what the day was, was it interesting? Was it effed up? Was it eye opening? Was it. What would you say characterized the day? Because when Cassie was up there every day, we said this was bombshell after bombshell after bombshell.

[Aubrey O'Day]

It wasn't giving that it wasn't giving.

[TJ Holmes]

Was it corroborating? Was it confusing?

[Aubrey O'Day]

Two people were helping corroborate bits of it. But again, when I hear things like, you know, Cassie felt that he controlled everything and that she didn't have a way out, she couldn't get out. Those are all her feelings about what she believe at that time. Yet they also established over and over again that they told her to get out and she said she didn't want to. She said everything was okay. So it's. I just don't know if we're getting close enough to force. I'VE heard from inside the courtroom that dawn was very inconsistent and not credible, unfortunately.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah. Let's talk about dawn first. Let's establish for our listeners what your relationship was and is with Dawn Richard. We know she was a former bandmate of yours, but who was dawn to you.

[Aubrey O'Day]

As in her character?

[TJ Holmes]

Just your relationship, the two of you?

[Aubrey O'Day]

Dawn was my bandmate, and she's an incredibly talented woman.

[TJ Holmes]

Were you friends?

[Aubrey O'Day]

I thought we were, yeah. You know, you have to remember I was the only child and I was the youngest one in the group when everyone wasn't lying about their ages. So with that being said, I thought everybody in the group were my real sisters. I thought we were going to have each other's back till the end of time. That's not what has occurred. I am close with every girl in my group except for Dawn.

[Amy Robach]

Okay. You had good times. Is it fair to say you all were close at one point and had good times that you thought were genuinely good times at the time?

[Aubrey O'Day]

There were moments that I had with dawn that I felt were genuine. I learned otherwise that they weren't.

[Amy Robach]

Okay. So why, if all your bandmates you're cool with what happened that you that broke down the relationship with Dawn?

[Aubrey O'Day]

Oh, God. A multitude of things. Consistent patterns of inconsistency, consistent patterns of truly just not understanding who was standing in front of me. My other bandmate and I went on tour with her long after Dirty Money, which is how I knew a lot about what occurred during Dirty Money because she would openly discuss things that she saw happening to Cassie.

[TJ Holmes]

Wow.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Never told us anything happened to her. And then. And we were given a lot of detail, but my bandmate and I would always kind of come back to each other when she'd walk away and be like, there were just so many inconsistencies. We just don't even know what happened in front of us.

[TJ Holmes]

So what you saw earlier, it was.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Obvious to more people than just me.

[TJ Holmes]

Okay. What we read or what we heard from what her testimony and a lot of people were saying, inconsistent reads. That's exactly the Dawn Richard that you knew.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yeah.

[TJ Holmes]

20 years ago.

[Aubrey O'Day]

And the outfit going into court that I first saw at the start of the morning was a bit of a tell for me. What I know, being the daughter of a lawyer is there are so many hands that are put on you in regards to just visuals in a courtroom. We discussed having your children in there. We discussed gray hair, a pregnant belly. All these things are affecting the jury. So is a three piece suit with diamonds on a collar. It's certainly a choice. And then when you got into her testimony, it seems like she was inconsistent and not credible as what's being reported.

[TJ Holmes]

So when you, when we heard dawn testify and the access she says she had to Diddy and to Cassie and what she saw and what she witnessed that was different than the access that you and your other bandmates had. Did she have a different relationship with Diddy and with Cassie than you all did?

[Aubrey O'Day]

She did not suggest that she ever did when asked long after Dirty Money.

[TJ Holmes]

But you all at the time had no idea she was sexually involved whatsoever with Diddy?

[Aubrey O'Day]

Absolutely not. I saw many things that were showing me that a complete opposite narrative. So when I saw it, I was shocked. And then when I started to speak to my other colleagues from making the band, I began to learn who my bandmate was.

[Amy Robach]

Would she be qualified? She has a lawsuit. I think she's alleging sexual battery, I think is what she's saying against Diddy assault.

[Aubrey O'Day]

But the assault that she alleges in her lawsuit is that during a fitting he touched her inappropriately in areas. And all the other things that she alleges in her lawsuit are things that happened on making the band. We had to stay up for days at a time. We weren't eating, we were losing weight. I mean all of those things were kind of like televised to the world. We weren't included or ever aware that there was going to be a lawsuit over those type of allegations. I mean, we're even being sued in her lawsuit. Our corporation that she is a part of November 15, she has named in her lawsuit and that doesn't even exist anymore. The corporation was shut down long ago. So I don't know if it's laziness on the lawyer's behalf or what, but it's certainly a choice.

[Amy Robach]

But do you sit here and this is kind of difficult. She feels something happened to her and she should be believed. But as you sit here, do you characterize Dawn Richard as a victim of Diddy's.

[Aubrey O'Day]

You know, I'm very sensitive about people being victims and I. And just because I personally have experienced her to be in, I. I honestly don't know who she is and I spent a lot of time around her.

[Narrator]

You see the world differently. Where others see empty lots, you see blueprints where others sit in lecture halls. Future leaders choose Ferris State University to build something real. Ready to dig in and learn through action. Ferris State gives you the tools, the team and training to unleash your potential with paths to high demand careers and in state tuition for Non residents at Ferris State. Students don't just study, they build. They lead, they succeed. Visit ferris. Edu Ferris State University. We build champions.

[Aubrey O'Day]

I have to, as a human, assume that if she's saying she's a victim, I need to give her the benefit of the doubt. That and hear what she has to say about being a victim.

[Amy Robach]

Came out yesterday in testimony. She actually reached out to Diddy, what, four plus years ago. Still trying to work with him.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yeah. You know, it's interesting. When she filed her lawsuit, the sons of Diddy took to the Internet and posted a bunch of like. Diddy had time to respond to Don's claims. He didn't necessarily respond to all the civil suits. There were many. His response to her was very strong. And the sons. And the sons also took to their social media to respond about her. They hadn't done that with all the civil cases filed prior. And what they did within these posts is a slide of all the text messages of her begging to come back and be part of the Making the Band reboot. That they were great. She wants her family back. There were all these things, and what I noticed within those text messages and when I put all of the pieces together is we were on tour with her when she was begging to go back and film that. She never told us. When she went and did that, she never told us she was going to do that. Shannon and I were just doing a show alone and she just was off filming the reboot. And we didn't know until fans had written us and put it on the Internet, like, why aren't you guys there? And other than that, we were sleeping and eating in the same place and in the same van and back in the same hotel and back on stage with each other every single day. We had no idea. And then, like, when it dropped in the media, she just like, was like, oh, yeah, well, I'm bringing opportunities to us, which is very much her style. And I hate that. That's the second witness in. Because Cassie was so bombshell every day. And she did present herself in a very fair way in regards to the days she participated and the days she didn't. She established in force, she established coercion. She established, you know, the good and the bad. It seems like Don didn't do such a good job of having a strong, a consistent memory of what she feels.

[TJ Holmes]

She witnessed in terms of those inconsistencies that the defense team pointed out in cross examination. One of the more bombshell allegation she had made, I believe, in her civil lawsuit was that other celebrities, and she named them, we're talking Usher, Neo, to name a few actually personally were there and witnessed Sean Diddy Combs punching Cassie Ventura in the stomach, I believe at a restaurant.

[Aubrey O'Day]

And then did you see what happened on the stand? She couldn't recall if they saw it. It's another inconsistency that they were able to point out very quickly. And also I think adding all of those names to a lawsuit, in my opinion, if I'm an attorney, I don't need to give the public a tell all book. I didn't even love all the details about Cassie. That's great to help Cassie's case, but what in here is helping your case. So for me, when I see tell all books happening in lawsuits, it makes me question what I'm looking at. And I saw a lot of tell all booking going on in that specific case. And in regards to naming those people, yes, I did see them around. But because she says they all saw something and now she says she doesn't know if they saw something, that's problematic. And bringing their names in is very problematic because if they didn't see it and they aren't doing things like that, putting their name in the middle of this, this storm is very destructive for careers, for families. I mean, I know Neo is very open in life about, you know, his behind the door, his polyamorous relationships. He's got pretty baby, he's got twin flame, he's got phoenix feather and sexy little something.

[TJ Holmes]

Do you think he learned perhaps that it's better to go ahead and be transparent with your choices versus I mean, maybe I.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yes, I think come if you're polyamorous and everybody's consenting, I think the first thing, and you're a celebrity, the first thing you should probably do is run and tell somebody in the media because you don't want it to be told any other way.

[Amy Robach]

You know, this is a good point you make. If Neo and Usher were around, if they didn't see a thing, the storyline now based on her testimony, which everybody's pointing out was inconsistent. She just put these guys names out there as two people who saw a woman abused and did nothing.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yeah. And by the way, I know all of this street. I am familiar with all kinds of things that have even been confirmed by sources there. But I wasn't there. And I would be absolutely reckless to come up here and sit with you guys and list off all the things that I've heard about any of these people unless you actually understand what you're saying. And you're consistent with it. It's not for public consumption because you can damage people's lives.

[TJ Holmes]

I have a question for you, Aubrey, because had you seen something like that, had you seen Diddy punch Cassie, would you have felt comfortable speaking up, going to authorities, doing something about it?

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yes.

[TJ Holmes]

The environment.

[Aubrey O'Day]

When Don punched me in the back of the head, I called 91 1. That's what you do when you're in your workplace and you're assaulted by your work colleague. There was nothing that is deserved of in any work environment. And I didn't even realize that because everything is so personal, but because I called my mom, who's a lawyer right afterward. I said, mom, she told me, you know, don't you need to make a record of this. And so you need to have somebody come there now and take a record of exactly what happens, but don't press any charges. Obviously, don't take anything into a place that could be hurtful toward people. This can be a private matter. And then she also said. I was like, but everyone's telling me to suck it up, and that's just how things go. And I was saying, like, you know, I'm being looked at. Like, I'm being like a Karen. You know, we didn't have that word back then, but like a whiny white woman. And my mom was like, aubrey, this isn't about color. This isn't about emotion. This is about. You are in a workplace. You can't normalize someone punching you because you don't agree on something called police. What is she gonna do the next time you don't agree? She's already sees that she can punch you. What is she gonna do next? You can't normalize that behavior in a workplace. I'm like, well, I'm not in a workplace, Mom. I'm in. I'm in the studio making music. This is my life. And she's like, that's your work. That's your job. You don't normalize being attacked at your job. If that happened in any other workplace, that would not be okay.

[TJ Holmes]

Why?

[Amy Robach]

Why did she hit you in the head?

[Aubrey O'Day]

You know this. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it.

[TJ Holmes]

Sounds like a story that we need to hear.

[Aubrey O'Day]

We were all coming back and reuniting for. I believe it was the first time since Danity Kane had been destroyed in front of the world by Puff on making the band. When we came back, we all made each other a promise that we would focus on this. As I had just released a solo project, I wanted to release Music videos, et cetera. But we all said, if I go and do that and other people go and do their, we're not showing the community that we're connected. And that was what was kind of pinned on us. Like, we couldn't get it together at the end of making the band. So we wanted to show solidarity. We all agreed on that. Unfortunately, through a series of events, we found out that dawn was shooting her own solo videos and doing her own solo things while we were. Had just worked so hard on a group thing, which was frustrating for me on multiple levels. I had my own project that I sacrificed. I had people living under my house, on my water, my gas. I was the one driving her and others around because they don't have cars and everybody needed to save money. I was the storage for all of the merch, et cetera. A lot of time and investment went into these projects. And for me, my bandmate was concerned. When we found out that a whole series of lies and inconsistencies were once again occurring with this girl, we went in a studio and sat down to discuss it. And she was getting more and more angry. We started to see a side of her we had never seen. When she made a comment like, y' all better, you know, watch yourselves. This, that and the other, I'm not the one. And I turned around, she was behind me. I said, respectfully, Dawn, I'm not the one either. And then I went back forward and said, like, listen, we need to be able to establish some type of work. And we were talking with our producing partner. So there was no lead, right? So no one could really get control of the situation. We all had to work through it. So before I knew it, she punched me. I flew into the headboard. I ran outside. My bandmate witnessed her screaming up and down the halls, puffing her chest up. A side of her we had never known. And it was shocking. I think she almost looked shocked to me that she let it out because we had never. She was so soft spoken. She was innocent. She didn't talk dirty sexually. She didn't even seem to have experiences like. Like she just was a whole different person when we. When that she taught us who she was. It was a whole different person the first time around. So, you know, now looking at all of this and understanding things that I know that occurred with her according to people that were there and witnessed it again, we have to see what she can prove and where the consistencies are in her story. But maybe she learned some of that behavior during her time in Dirty Money, I don't know.

[TJ Holmes]

I was just gonna ask that. Do you think perhaps she could have changed based on the environment that she was probably.

[Aubrey O'Day]

There was a lot of bitches and hoes. Diddy loved using those words. There was. Your mama's a hoe. I mean, she does not know my mother. Like, there was a lot of you, your ho, bitch this, that and the other, back and forth. And I was outside, like getting counsel. And so I made sure that we took a record of what occurred that day with authorities and then we didn't return and allow anybody to talk us into it. She went later on, went and said it's because of vocals and we wanted our vocals over hers and, you know, basically implied, as she had told us before, she's a real singer and me and Shannon weren't. Basically.

[Narrator]

You see the world differently. Where others see empty lots, you see blueprints. Where others sit in lecture halls. Future leaders choose Ferris State University to build something real. Ready to dig in and learn through action. Ferris State gives you the tools, the team and training to unleash your potential with paths to high demand careers and in state tuition for non residents. At Ferris State, students don't just study, they build. They lead, they succeed. Visit ferris. Edu Ferris State University. We build champions.

[Amy Robach]

Is there any part of you that goes, damn, we went through so much publicly together. It's a shame that she and I aren't friends, that we aren't talking. Is that's just not possible that you all could reconcile in any way.

[Aubrey O'Day]

I mean, I reconciled with her. I'm the one that reached out to her after she did that and I reconciled the situation and she wasn't offering up a whole lot of apologies, but I was trying to read in between the lines and give her a heart that I'm not certain she even has. But. But when you ask that specific question, yes, I wrote her after I got. After I received an affidavit that I can't talk about, that we've discussed that. I'm very concerned over. I called her or texted her and then her assistant called right back, said her dad was in the hospital. He also ended the call saying, when she gets off her flight, I'll let you know. But in this specific regard, I wrote her and I said, I told the assistant, listen, something scary is happening. This is way bigger than any, like, Danity Kane reunion. I'm not calling to get the band back together. I'm not calling for business opportunities, which is probably why I didn't get a call back. I Said I'm calling because something scary is happening and people are telling me I can't trust dawn and that she was doing things with Diddy and that she's working with them or whatever I was hearing. And I said, I need to know and believe that when it comes down to scary things, that we were all sisters and that we would all protect each other. And if I'm right, she will call me back. And if I'm wrong, then I won't hear from her, and so be it. I'll make peace with it. And I never heard from her.

[Amy Robach]

How long ago was that?

[Aubrey O'Day]

I don't know when she dropped her lawsuit, but it was like, maybe a few weeks prior to that.

[Amy Robach]

Within the past year and a half or so. Two years.

[Aubrey O'Day]

I'd have to look when she dropped her lie. It was in recent times. Yeah.

[Amy Robach]

But before that, the last conversation you had with her was how many years.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Ago we stopped her and I did a side project together after we. We went on tour. Like, even after she hit me, we had a whole other three other tours after that, when we reconvene, I mean, I forgave a lot. I forgave a lot. Too much. My back is broken for how much I bent and protected it because. And even I feel uncomfortable a bit, but I trust you guys and I trust this process, but I feel uncomfortable a bit even saying this, because what it does is it's dismantling our legacy. What Diddy has now. Yeah. And also, like, what everything that Diddy has done and is now being now the world is seeing is dismantling our legacy. All of it is a dismantling of a legacy that I'm so proud of that it makes me physically sick. It's why a few of my band members don't want to go near any of this, because they are sick that we are dismantling a legacy. But if the legacy is going to be dismantled, I do feel that they. We need to have a bit more of a consistent player from my group speaking.

[TJ Holmes]

Well, you know, it's interesting, and that is lost in all of this because, yes, we're focused on the, you know, the alleged abuse and the alleged crimes, and. But there were real people who obviously were hurt, but then there were real careers that were ended. And then when you reflect back at all the time and all the work and all the emotion and all the sacrifices you made are now just all.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Chalked up at the very beginning of my career. So that's how you learn. And in a very informative age, the Very crucial age where you understand who you are is when all this happened, it completely changes your life. You're not the same. I've been crawling up from under it for 20 years. I don't even know who I am half the time. I just know that when I'm gonna. I could wake up to any headline at any time at any day, and everyone could have turned on me. It's happened about 70 million times so far. Knowing that what I've learned to keep consistent is my integrity and the way that I advocate for things. Those are the two things that guide me in my life. Everything else, the way I look, whether I dress crazy or not, whether I'm fatter or skinnier, whether my lips are injected or not. All of that is and how much it's criticized is neither here nor there for me. As long as my credibility and my consistency, my integrity is aligned with what I know to be true. And that's why I'm always leaving room for dawn and Puff to potentially. For potentially there to be more to the story or for there to be something good there.

[Amy Robach]

To hear you say you've been crawling out from under it for 20 years. Like I said and I said at the top here, you have been someone who has helped us get some perspective and help us report on some perspective that we just wouldn't have if we didn't have you here to talk about this. We talk about dawn here. I want to move to the best friend. Carrie Morgan. Different. She was a best friend of Cassie Ventura for years. Their relationship ended after Diddy assaulted her, allegedly, according to Kerry, compared to Dawn's testimony.

[Aubrey O'Day]

How did Kerry come off the cross examination? Wasn't able to really discredit any of her testimony that I read. She established that Combs was not intoxicated or high when he got physically violent with Ventura on two occasions and when he sent her money and she signed an NDA. So that's establishing an organization that silences people, that's establishing knowledge of silencing people, that's establishing violence, that's establishing no drugs. Because it's likely that his team is going. Going to be very, very hell bent on establishing this is a man that was a drug addict. He had to go to rehab. It got so bad. Diddy did his whole speech, likely on purpose at some BET Awards honor that he got where he said, thanks, these four people for holding me down during the dark times. Cassie was the last name mentioned. And it's a very palpable speech. If you go back and watch it now, Knowing all that we know. And you really should pay attention to all the names he said because what were the names?

[Amy Robach]

I can't remember. You wanna make me go back and watch? What were the names?

[Aubrey O'Day]

T.D. jakes. And then Cassie Ventura for holding him down during the dark days. And Lorianne for keeping him free. And TD Jakes. I don't remember what he said about that, ma' am.

[Amy Robach]

How important is the establishing, continuing to establish? She told several stories about witnessing violence by Diddy against Cassie. She said, I don't want to be here. I had no desire to be here. I'm here because I was subpoenaed. But I want this out of my life. I had moved on.

[Aubrey O'Day]

And she's not even friends with Cassie anymore.

[TJ Holmes]

The moment she got that 30, what was it? How much did she get? 30 grand for being assaulted by Diddy, she cut off all communications with Cassie Ventura. And to me, that also lent a lot of credibility to where she was and what she wanted afterwards, which was nothing from that.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yep, yep. Very, very strong witness. Very strong witness to establish one. I think she established a little bit of, kind of how my experience is, is not in. Not in with the details, but you can get away from it if you want to. I didn't go. I didn't stay.

[TJ Holmes]

Going back to your relationship with dawn and the fact that when she did hit you, you did call police. That to me would separate you from a lot of other folks within the circle that they know.

[Amy Robach]

Whoa.

[TJ Holmes]

If Aubrey is around or if anything happens to Aubrey, she is going to notify authorities.

[Aubrey O'Day]

Yeah. Do you want to know how many people want to work with you after knowing that? You know how many criminals there are in the music industry? Nobody wants a tattle.

[TJ Holmes]

It might have hurt you career wise, but it protected you in a lot of other ways.

[Aubrey O'Day]

I just needed to have it be documented.

[TJ Holmes]

Well, Aubrey, we appreciate all the inside information. This truly helps all of us watch this trial and pay attention to this trial in a different way. So you have been incredible and we have much more with Aubrey o' Day. Thank you for listening. There is so much more to come, so keep checking out the podcast. We appreciate it.

[Narrator]

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