The Trial: Cassie Ventura Takes the Stand

Summary

Summary of "Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy"

Episode: The Trial: Cassie Ventura Takes the Stand
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Host/Author: ABC News
Podcast Series: Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy
Platform: ABC News Live, 20/20, Disney, Hulu

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Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "The Trial: Cassie Ventura Takes the Stand," ABC News delves deep into the unraveling of Sean "Diddy" Combs' once-stellar career. The podcast meticulously traces the allegations against the music mogul, focusing on the pivotal testimony of his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. This episode offers listeners an in-depth look at the courtroom drama, the intricacies of the case, and the personal toll it has taken on all involved parties.

Cassie Ventura's Testimony

Timestamp [01:07]
Eva Pilgrim opens the episode by highlighting the significance of Cassie Ventura's testimony. Describing a distressing video of Diddy and Cassie in an LA hotel hallway, Eva emphasizes how this evidence ignited the case after six years of simmering allegations.

Cassie takes the stand to depict the "darker side" of her decade-long relationship with Diddy. She admits to initially trying to fulfill his sexual desires to make him happy but soon became reluctant. [03:01] Cassie reveals that the so-called "freak offs" consumed so much of her time that they felt like a full-time job. When she resisted Combs' demands, she faced severe violence, including instances where he banged and stomped her head in court, as noted by Aaron Katerski's observations.

Throughout her testimony, Cassie shares explicit details of the sex parties orchestrated by Diddy, which were drug-fueled and controlled by him. She describes the environment as "humiliating and disgusting," with recording equipment set up to capture these encounters. Cassie's account paints a picture of coercion and manipulation, contradicting Diddy's claims of consensual interactions.

Courtroom Observations

Timestamp [03:01] - [07:06]
Aaron Katerski provides a vivid account of the courtroom dynamics during Cassie's testimony. He notes Cassie's lack of eye contact with Diddy, instead turning to her husband and family members for support. Cassie's demeanor is described as soft-spoken yet firm as she recounts the degrading sexual activities forced upon her.

Katerski observes the jury's reactions, highlighting their stoic expressions despite the harrowing nature of Cassie's revelations. He mentions a particularly empathetic juror who smirked during mentions of baby oil, a substance frequently used in the "freak offs." The meticulous detailing of the disarrayed hotel rooms, filled with candle wax and oil, underscores the severity and repetitiveness of these events.

Legal Commentary: Prosecution and Defense Strategies

Timestamp [07:25] - [22:13]
Brian Buckmire, ABC News legal contributor, analyzes the legal implications of Cassie's testimony. He points out that Cassie's descriptions support the prosecution's argument of coercion and abuse of power. Quotes from Cassie, such as the room being "pretty bad off" with "pungent smell" of baby oil, reinforce the government's stance on the criminal enterprise Diddy allegedly operated.

However, Buckmire also anticipates the defense's approach, suggesting they might exploit aspects like Cassie's jealousy and her characterization as a "strong adult woman" to undermine her credibility. He emphasizes the duality in Cassie's testimony, where both sides can extract points to support their narratives.

Bernardo Villona, a criminal defense attorney, and Sarah Mathers, a former NYPD sex crimes detective, join the discussion to shed light on the domestic violence elements of the case. Villona stresses the importance of addressing the violence Cassie endured, which likely contributed to her silence for years. Mathers highlights the toxic environment Diddy created, emphasizing Cassie's strength in coming forward despite the prolonged trauma.

The conversation shifts to the defense's potential strategies. Villona questions the relevance of the admitted violence to the charges of sex trafficking and argues that the defense will attempt to dismantle the prosecution's narrative by questioning the connection between the abuse and the alleged trafficking activities.

Additionally, Bernardo discusses how the prosecution meticulously focuses on minute details of Cassie's experiences to establish her credibility and the severity of Diddy's actions. He underscores the importance of these details in persuading the jury of Cassie's honesty and the plausibility of her allegations.

The Role of Cassie Ventura

Timestamp [23:13] - [26:00]
Kelly Carter provides a background on Cassie Ventura, painting a picture of her rise as an emerging star signed to Diddy's Bad Boy Records. Released in 2006, her debut album positioned her alongside contemporaries like Ciara and Rihanna. Discovered by Ryan Leslie, Cassie was seen as a promising talent in the R&B scene.

Despite a lucrative 10-album deal, Cassie's musical output remained limited, with only one album released. Her career stagnation was attributed to the overwhelming demands of the "freak offs," which hindered her ability to produce more music. Kelly notes Cassie's transition to a quieter life, marked by her marriage and impending motherhood, contrasting sharply with her tumultuous past with Diddy.

Cassie's current demeanor, described as serene and regulated, serves as a stark contrast to the oppressive environment she once endured. Her resilience and ability to move forward with her life highlight her strength and determination to overcome past ordeals.

Defense and Prosecution Dynamics

Timestamp [16:18] - [22:13]
The episode transitions to a strategic discussion between Brian Buckmire and Bernardo Villona. Buckmire, adopting the role of the defense attorney, expresses confidence in dismantling the prosecution's case by questioning the direct link between the admitted abuse and the specific charges of trafficking and racketeering. He emphasizes the need to dissect the allegations meticulously rather than dismissing them outright.

Bernardo critiques the prosecution's detailed approach, explaining that every minute detail serves to establish Cassie's credibility and strengthen the case against Diddy. He underscores the significance of Cassie's consistent and detailed testimony in persuading the jury of the veracity of her claims.

Conversely, the prosecution's approach, as described by Bernardo, aims to present a comprehensive and shocking account of the abuse, intending to leave an indelible impact on the jury's perception. This method seeks to distinguish the case from typical domestic violence incidents by highlighting the scale and systematic nature of the alleged crimes.

Conclusion

"The Trial: Cassie Ventura Takes the Stand" offers a compelling exploration of the legal battle against Sean "Diddy" Combs. Through detailed courtroom observations, expert legal analysis, and a nuanced portrayal of Cassie Ventura's experiences, the podcast provides listeners with a thorough understanding of the complexities surrounding the case. As the trial progresses, the narrative promises to unravel further layers of the allegations, the defense's counterarguments, and the overarching impact on the hip-hop industry's landscape.

Listeners are left anticipating the unfolding of this high-stakes trial, eager to witness whether the compelling testimony and mounting evidence will culminate in a verdict that holds Diddy accountable for the alleged abuses and criminal activities.

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Notable Quotes:

• Cassie Ventura [03:01]: "These freak offs took up so much of my time, it felt like a full-time job."
• Brian Buckmire [07:42]: "This was a horrible interaction, that it was a toxic relationship."
• Bernardo Villona [11:47]: "The violence is what actually quieted Cassie as to not say anything for all those years."
• Sarah Mathers [12:40]: "She is strong and she was a victim, and now she's able to speak up for herself."

Each quote encapsulates the gravity of the situation and the personal struggles faced by Cassie Ventura, reinforcing the podcast's narrative on the dark underbelly of Diddy's empire.

Transcript

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[Brian Buckmire]

Hey, it's Brian. Today on Bad Rap. We've got something a little different. A dispatch from my colleagues over at ABC News Live and their show Burden of the Case Against Diddy. I think you're really going to like it. It's more great analysis and insight on the latest in the Sean Diddy Combs trial. Burden of Proof the case Against Diddy Streams weekdays at 5:30pm Eastern on ABC News Live. Find it on Disney, Hulu or on most of your favorite streaming apps. Today you'll hear me on there with host Eva Pilgrim. Take a listen.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Good evening, I'm Eva Pilgrim. Thanks for streaming with us. It's day two of testimony in the Sean Diddy Combs trial and the prosecution's star witness, his ex girlfriend Cassie Ventura, taking the stand. The disturbing video of Diddy and Cassie in an LA hotel hallway. One of the speakers that really ignited this case today for the first time in six years, Cassie coming face to face with Diddy telling the jury in graphic detail about what they say is the darker side of the rap mogul over the span of their 10 year relationship. Cassie admitting she was young and initially wanted to make him happy by fulfilling his sexual desires, but quickly became reluctant. Ventura says the freakoffs took up so much of her time it felt like a full time job. When she didn't cater to Combs desires, he became violent and abusive, bashing and stomping her head at times in the courtroom. Hearing the explicit details of these sexual escapades, Combs mother and children back for a second day in a row. Prosecutors argue Combs used power and fame to lead a criminal enterprise for two decades to to allegedly abuse, threaten and force women into drug fueled sex marathons that lasted for days. He strongly denies all of these allegations. If convicted, Combs could face life in prison, a stark contrast to the life of luxury he's known for. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. We'll take you inside the courtroom in just a moment for the emotional testimony and we'll also take a closer look at Cassi Ventura, the singer and now star witness on the stand. Let's go to Aaron Katerski. He was inside the courtroom for all of it. And he joins me now from lower Manhattan. Aaron, this was the first time that Cassie Ventura and her ex Sean Combs have seen each other since 2018. What was that moment like in the.

[Aaron Katerski]

Courtroom when she walked into the room, Sean Combs appeared to look at her, but she, Eva, did not seem to look at him. And during her testimony, I'm not sure she really made eye contact with Sean Combs. She turned occasionally to her husband, Alex Fine, who was seated in the courtroom. She had other members of her family, her attorney there in support. But she recounted such graphic detail, too graphic for us to discuss here now in such soft spoken matter of fact tones describing degrading sexual activity that she said Sean Combs forced her into starting when she was 22 years old. And as she called herself, naive, too naive, she said, to really understand what was going on or understand the power dynamics in the relationship because she said if it turned him on, that's what they did. Her preferences weren't at all considered. And she said she was passed around and objectified by men and with other men she didn't want to be having sex with. On Sean Combs whim, describing how he wanted to set up recording equipment to record these Freak Offs, she said, it made me feel insane. She said it was humiliating and disgusting.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Erin, Cassie shared that she didn't have a whole lot of sexual experience before she met Diddy. She was only 19 when she met them. There's a nearly two decades age difference between these two. Talk more about that power dynamic and how their relationship changed over time.

[Aaron Katerski]

Well, she was 19 and a young singer and Combs signed her to a 10 album deal with Bad Boy Records, so a long term deal. And she said, Eva, that she only made one album. Otherwise the Freak Offs took up so much of her time that it stifled her music career, but it controlled her financially, she said. So she felt like her livelihood, her career, her life really depended on Sean Combs and keeping him happy. Otherwise, she said she feared what might happen. Now, interestingly, she talked a lot about not wanting him to break up with her. Now, whether that was because she thought might get violent or because she would lose some of the life that she had acquired, she didn't really say. But we know that the defense is expected to argue that sure, Sean Combs and Cassie had a toxic, violent relationship, but the defense has called her a strong adult woman who made a voluntary choice.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Aaron, you were in that courtroom these Details were a lot. What was the jury's reaction hearing her testimony?

[Aaron Katerski]

It's really hard to read the jury. Most of them are pretty stone faced. There was one woman who did seem to be following along. She would occasionally smirk at the mention of baby oil or lubricant, which was used so frequently that as Ventura described it, the hotel rooms where these freak offs occurred were left in complete disarray. There was candle wax and oil everywhere, but most of the children. Jurors sat stone faced, listening to what amounts to the humiliating recollection of a decade's worth of a woman's sex life.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Erin, what can we expect to see in court tomorrow?

[Aaron Katerski]

More of the same. Cassie Ventura ended her testimony today, taking jurors to a moment. They've already seen video of what happened in the Los Angeles hotel in March of 2016. The jury had already seen the video, but they saw it again with Cassie narrating it, saying, that's me, pointing to herself on video and telling the jury. This was the first time, the first and only time she tried to escape a freak off. Before Sean Combs declared it over. She said she got hit by Combs. She had a black eye and she wanted to leave. But when she tried to, as the jury saw in video, he dragged her back.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Erin Katerski for us there at the courthouse. Erin, thank you so much. And let's break all of this testimony down and what it means for this case with ABC News legal contributor and trial attorney Brian Buckmire. You were also in the courtroom. This testimony, I mean, the details of this testimony. From a legal standpoint, what stood out to you?

[Brian Buckmire]

So from a legal standpoint, there are a few quotes that I want to look at that I think kind of run the gambit of what we're talking about here. We have Cassie Venturi here and some of her quotes saying here after the freak off, the room was pretty bad off, the candle wax all over the place. And then she described it having a pungent smell.

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Brian Buckmire]

And she brought us into those rooms in a way that made us think, no one wants to be in there. The only way you can be in there is to be compelled. I think that fed into the government's argument of coercion. But we also heard something that I think the defense is gonna jump on where she talked about that she was insanely jealous. And we remember from Tenny Garagos, she said that this case was about love, infidelity, jealousy and money. And so I think something like this Sean Cohn professing to be A man of many women and Cassie potentially being jealous and maybe starting some of those fights or participating in the fight. That's something defense is going to jump on. And then, of course, this saying that she's super young and naive, people pleaser, getting her personality. I think her testimony really drove home the idea that this was a horrible interaction, that it was a toxic relationship, as Aaron is quoting the defense. But also I think there's something that both sides will be able to use from her testimony that she was trafficked, as the government is arguing, but also that this could just be a domestic violence case where the defense might be able to argue, not these crimes, other crimes he's guilty of, maybe not guilty of trafficking and racketeering.

[Eva Pilgrim]

She also talked at some length about the control that he had over her and the other people on his staff that helped participate in that. Why do you think that was so important?

[Brian Buckmire]

All right, so I think the smart thing to do start off is talking about Cassie's age. She's 38 years old now. Sean Combs is 55. The age gap was one thing. They touched on the fact that she was his singer and signed onto his label as a singer and she had done some modeling in the past and that he had the ability to control whether or not her music got out. We also saw the testimony about who was in his inner circle. We saw her talk about bodyguards and chief of staff. And to Erin's point, she was very matter of fact and soft spoken when she spoke. But what I saw when she talked about those bodyguards and soft pictures of them, it was almost like she started to tremble in her voice a little. You can see a sense of fear as she recounted who the people were, where if she didn't pick up the phone right away, someone would come and find her. And I think that really colored the idea of this criminal enterprise.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Again, you were in the courtroom today. What was the jury's reaction hearing all of this?

[Brian Buckmire]

I think as they continued to watch, you saw some people feverishly taking notes in the back. But I think as a testimony continued in, everyone was really leaning in. They were somewhat stoic. I didn't see anyone really like jaw dropping about some of these allegations. Of course, you saw some people, as we see in the reports, shaking their head as to some of these statements because they were very, very horrible and hard to listen to at times.

[Eva Pilgrim]

At the very beginning of the day, we heard from a male escort that testified that he saw Combs attack Cassie. What stood out to you about his testimony?

[Brian Buckmire]

Yeah, and so Xavier Donaldson was a defense attorney who continued the cross examination. And what stood out to me is I think they're still kind of attacking this strategy of attacking the credibility as well as the idea of consent here. And so from there, there are two things. One, Philip or Daniel, Phillip said that he actually had feelings towards Cassie. And there might have been, again, this issue of jealousy that I think the defendants tried to hone in on. But of course, the government came back and talked about just the brutality of Sean Combs interaction with Cassie, the directing of the sexual encounters with who got paid, how they got paid, and then again just the brutality of the interaction that he saw with them.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Brian Bachmeier, thank you so much. We'll come back to you in just a little bit. Cassie Ventura's testimony today detailing graphic allegations of domestic violence which she says she experienced while dating Sean Combs. Violence that the defense admitted to in opening statements. To talk more about domestic violence, let's bring in criminal defense attorney and ABC News legal contributor Bernardo Villona, who has handled sex crime cases, and former NYPD sex crimes detective Sarah Mathers, who also notably worked on the Harvey Weinstein investigation. Thank you both so much for joining with us. Bernardo, let's start with you. The defense admitted in opening statements that Combs got violent, but say that doesn't mean he was trafficking people. So does the violence matter here?

[Bernardo Villona]

The violence absolutely matters here because it's. The violence is what actually quieted Cassie as to not say anything for all those years. Look how long it took her to finally say something. And that's a common issue that you see with domestic violence victims, with sexual assault victims, because it takes them a long time, number one, to realize that they were victimized and two, to have the courage to come forward and actually to speak to other people about what happened to them. But three, look what happens behind closed doors. You just never know what happens behind closed doors. So this violence, this her being scared is all a part of the violence and the crimes that took place here and what the prosecution is moving forward in front of this jury piece by piece.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Sarah, you've investigated a lot of cases. How does violence factor into these types of situations?

[Sarah Mathers]

Well, I think, I think this shows just what, what Sean Combs was capable of, and it just shows the toxicity of that was surrounding Cassi Ventura in her life. I think being a man of power and having the financial means that he had and having the control over her, I think that all just led into this whole situation where now she has the strength to stand up in court. And to speak her mind and say, state the facts and tell everyone what happened. And she is strong and she was a victim, and now she's able to, you know, speak up for herself and show the world that she's strong and that she's able to come over this and excel in her life and move on.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Bernardo we saw text messages between Cassie and Diddy today. The defense has already said they think the messages show the consensual nature of their relationship. I'm curious, though, what's your reaction to those text messages?

[Bernardo Villona]

So when Cassie was testifying about the text messages, she also put it into context as to why she sent those text messages, what was going on in her mind as she wanted to satisfy Sean Combs, that she wanted to be a part of this in the sense of that she was scared that if she didn't participate, what would happen to her? These are also common signs of people that are domestic violence victims, that are sexual assault victims that you see we're ultimately going to see later on during the trial and expert come in and testify as to how and why victims like these react the way they do and are capable to send these texts that may look consensual to other people. But when you break it down mentally, you're able to see that this is a victim, a person that is broken, a person that has been tainted, a person that has been brainwashed as a result of the violence and the control that Sean Combs had over her.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Sarah Cassie didn't come forward until 2023 with her civil suit, years after this relationship ended. In your experience, why do victims wait to come forward?

[Sarah Mathers]

Well, you know, every victim's story is different, and some victims respond to trauma differently. And with this situation, maybe just out of fear, like I said, he had full control over her, full control of her financially and just based on her reputation, society, you know, the emotional aspects, the psychological aspects that she's had to dealt with. So these things take time and she, you know, she's doing it now and she should be proud of herself. And we'll see how this pans out.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Sara Mathers, Bernardo Villona, thank you both for being with us. Still ahead, the prosecution versus the defense, the strategy from both sides when it comes to Cassie's testimony and the portrait they're trying to paint of Sean Diddy Combs. We'll be right back.

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[Eva Pilgrim]

Hello, it's Robin Roberts here.

[Brian Buckmire]

Hey guys, it's George Stephanopoulos here. Hey everybody, it's Michael Strahan here.

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[Brian Buckmire]

Good Morning America.

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[Eva Pilgrim]

Welcome back to ABC News Live. Day two of testimony in the Sean Diddy Combs trial. His ex girlfriend Cassie Ventura taking the stand, revealing never before heard details about days long drug fueled sexual encounters with prostitutes. Cassie saying if she refused to participate, Combs became violent and that the freak offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again. Our ABC News legal contributors Brian Buckmire and Bernardo Villona are back with us. We're going to have y' all take sides today. Brian, you're the defense. Bernardo, you're the prosecution. Brian, let's start with you. If you were the defense attorney sitting there hearing all of these details, what are you thinking?

[Brian Buckmire]

If I'm the defense, I'm actually not that worried because in a case like this they've already conceded that there is allegations of domestic abuse and violence and I'm waiting to see the government make the connection between this is simply a man and a woman, especially a man. Cuz we're hearing the violence from Sean Combs onto Cassie, just brutally abusing her, hitting her. All the things that we said were indefensible but we're not seeing the connection of was this force used to compel her to go across state lines for trafficking or was this simply a man who was a voyager who liked to participate in these sexual escapades that we may not agree with, but in the course of that he used violence. So I'm looking to try to slice this with a scalpel rather than come in with a hammer and just kind of pick the case apart little by little.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Bernardo, how do you think the prosecution did today? What are they trying to do here?

[Bernardo Villona]

So the prosecution is definitely laying Out a picture, a story of the life of Cassie with Sean Combs, and especially the violent nature of it, but then the sexual nature of it. And I think what they're doing is piece by piece, they're laying out all these things, freak off moments. And now they're starting to get to the nitty gritty part, meaning the most extreme ones, the ones that shock the conscience. For example, when she mentioned that Sean Combs would have her participate in these freak offs when she was on her menstrual cycle, I think that right there shocks the conscience. And the prosecution did a great job in ending with that line of questioning to show the jury that, look, this is not just domestic violence. This is not just people having consensual sex. This is the type that no one will want to engage in.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Brian, the defense has admitted that Combs had non traditional sexual preferences. Cassie at one point, was on the stand flipping through a binder of escorts that they used. We can't even say out loud some of the things that occurred on this show. Do you think the defense can really convince this jury that Cassie and these other alleged victims wanted this?

[Brian Buckmire]

No, I don't think so. I don't think that you can take any of these allegations and say, of course Cassie wanted to do and again, go and read it. Because some of the things we're not allowed to repeat, but the brutality, the coercion, the arguments, the slapping, the dehumanization of what allegedly happened to her, I don't think anyone's gonna turn around and say, well, that's just abnormal sexual encounters. But I think the defense can size up and say, yes, that's a crime. You know, we call that rape, abuse, sexual assault. Look at the indictment and see if any of those are listed in the indictment. They're not. And I think the defense is gonna try to sidestep them and say, where's the trafficking? Where were these allegations used to traffic her? Where's the criminal enterprise? And not just an inner circle or an organization of Sean Combs to help facilitate him getting from point A to point B and doing the things that he likes, even though they're state crimes and not federal crimes. I think they're gonna try to sidestep it and argue somewhere else.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Bernard, I have to ask you about these details. The prosecutor is literally asking her about every little thing down to what these rooms looked and smelled like after these freak offs, the number of baby bottle, baby oil bottles used each time. Why do you think these details matter here?

[Bernardo Villona]

So, Eva, the devil is into Details. When you're determining credibility, when you're determining believability, you want the witness to try to give you as much details as possible to determine whether that person is telling the truth. So that's why the prosecution is heavily focusing on these details. Because in the end, this case rises and falls on the testimony of Cassi Ventura. And in order for the jury to find her credible and believable, they have to look at her testimony as well as a demeanor as well as anything that corroborates her testimony and evaluate all of that to determine, in fact, whether Sean Combs is guilty of these crimes. So the devil's in the details, so they have to get it out.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Brian, as a defense attorney, how do you handle a cross with a witness like Cassie without taking off the jury?

[Brian Buckmire]

Personally, I don't do it. I think I would first hire someone like Bernardo Villalone, and I think that defense is doing something very similar to that. One of the women attorneys are going to cross examine Cassi Ventura for a number of reasons. One, this is a woman making allegations of sexual assault on that of a man. And two, she is pregnant. The optics of that would look horrible if someone like me does this. But I think the other aspect of it, from a technical standpoint, very careful, don't raise your voice. Don't get into an argument. Be as soft spoken and careful as her, but be deliberate in your words and trying to say, you said this one day and now you're saying this another day. So which one is it? Don't get into a battle with her because you're not going to look good doing so.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Brian Buckmire, Bernardo Villona, thank you both for being with us. Coming up, who is Cassie Ventura? A closer look at her time as an emerging star in the spotlight. To the star witness in the case against Diddy. Stay with us.

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[Eva Pilgrim]

Welcome back. Cassie Ventura is the star witness in this case against Sean Diddy Combs. But before all this, she once shined as an up and coming singer who had a recording contract with Diddy's label, Bad Boy Records. Tonight, a look at Cassie, who she was and is. For that, we turn to our Kelly Carter, who covers entertainment and pop culture for us. Kelly, take us back to 2006, when her first album was released and Cassie was just starting to make a name for herself. Who was Cassie Ventura?

[Kelly Carter]

Yeah. You know, let's go back even a little bit further to really put her into context, because in 2004, you have Ciara dropping her debut album. In 2005, Rihanna drops her debut album. 2006, Cassie comes around and drops her debut album. And really, the landscape was very ripe for R and B pop pro to kind of take over. And she really. It looked as if she was gonna fit quite nicely along what we were hearing on the radio and what we were seeing in music videos. She was discovered by Ryan Leslie, who is a songwriter who has written hits for people like Beyonce, Britney Spears, and of course, Sean Combs. And it seemed as if all of the ingredients were there for her to fit quite nicely in this scope of the R and B music scene from young women.

[Eva Pilgrim]

So it sounds like she was such a promising young star.

[Kelly Carter]

What happened here, you know, what happened is we kept waiting for more music to come. You know, when that first album came out, it lived on the top 20 for a couple of weeks, but then it was like nothing. You know, what you've been hearing a lot in today's testimony is that she signed this 10 album deal with Bad Boy Records, but only one album came out. And for the longest time, people kept waiting to hear more, see more, what was gonna become of her, because we saw her on red carpets, right? And then we had to wait about six years after that debut album from her dropped to to get her on a Nicki Minaj track. And I thought maybe that was gonna, you know, bring some new music from her. We kept hearing Shawn talk about how she was constantly in the studios working with producers, but we really weren't hearing any new music and certainly no new albums.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Cassie, as we have been able to see, is very pregnant right now, about to have her third baby. What more do we know about her life now?

[Kelly Carter]

It seems very quiet, far more quieter than it was when, of course, she was with Sean. Because we. We're seeing, as we keep rolling, a lot of red carpet footage, a lot of event footage. It's a quieter life, and it seems very sweet. He is someone who often makes a lot of proclamations on social media, on Instagram, about how he wishes the days were longer so that he could have more time to spend with his sweet wife, who is the bestest, in his words, the bestest mama that could ever be. And they're about to have their third baby, so it's quiet and obviously much more regulated.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Kelly Carter, thank you as always, for being with us.

[Kelly Carter]

Thank you.

[Eva Pilgrim]

And thank you so much for streaming with us. We'll be back with new episodes every day of the trial right here on ABC News Live, Disney and hulu, weekdays at 5:30pm Eastern. For even more on the Diddy trial, make sure to follow our podcast, Bad Rap, the Case Against Diddy, hosted by our very own Brian Buckmire on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. I'm Eva Pilgrim in New York. Have a good rest of your day. Hello, it's Robin Roberts here.

[Brian Buckmire]

Hey, guys, it's George Stephanopoulos here. Hey, everybody, it's Michael Strahan here.

[Sponsor Voice]

Wake up with Good Morning America. Robin, George Michael, gma, America's favorite number one morning show, the morning's first breaking news, exclusive interviews, what everyone will be talking about that day. Put some good in your morning and start your day with GMA.

[Brian Buckmire]

Good Morning America.

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Put the good in your morning. GMA 7A on ABC. The cultural phenomenon the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is back with an all new season coming to Hulu May 15th.

[Brian Buckmire]

Where is everyone at?

[Sponsor Voice]

Mom Talk has gotten to a really hostile point. Demi's willing to kick Jessie out of the group.

[Brian Buckmire]

I feel like I'm walking into a lion's den. It's going to get messy for sure.

[Sponsor Voice]

Mom Talk is turning on each other left and right. The police are here.

[Eva Pilgrim]

I can't see this going any other way but a pure bloodbath. This is so toxic.

[Sponsor Voice]

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Streaming on Hulu May 15th.