Sean Combs: Kanye makes an appearance.

Summary

Dateline: True Crime Weekly - Episode Summary: Sean Combs Trial Featuring Kanye West

Release Date: June 14, 2025
Host: Andrea Canning
Special Guest: Kanye West makes an appearance

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Overview

In this riveting episode of Dateline: True Crime Weekly, hosted by Andrea Canning, listeners are immersed in the ongoing racketeering trial of Sean Combs (also known as Diddy). The episode delves deep into courtroom proceedings, witness testimonies, and unexpected celebrity appearances, providing a comprehensive update on one of the most talked-about cases in the true crime realm.

Key Discussions and Insights

1. Introduction to the Trial

Andrea Canning sets the stage by highlighting the gravity of the Sean Combs trial. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the trial has been marked by intense courtroom drama and high-profile testimonies.

Andrea Canning [01:44]:
"This is ON Trial, a special series from Dateline True Crime Weekly bringing you daily coverage from the Sean Combs racketeering trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him."

2. Testimony of Jonathan Perez

A pivotal moment in the episode revolves around the testimony of Jonathan Perez, Combs' former personal assistant.

• Calm Demeanor: Perez appeared composed on the stand, expressing respect and positive sentiments towards Combs.

  Chloe Melas [02:57]:
  "Jonathan had such a calm, affable demeanor... he still respects him present day."

• Involvement in 'King Nights': Perez detailed his role in organizing events referred to as "freak offs," "hotel nights," and "king nights," highlighting their interchangeable use in previous civil suits.

  Chloe Melas [03:52]:
  "They're all synonymous."

• Routine and Operations: He described the meticulous preparations for these events, including setting up baby oil lighting and arranging food and beverages. Notably, Perez claimed that only 1% of his time was dedicated to these activities, emphasizing his focus on business-related tasks.

  Chloe Melas [03:55]:
  "99% of his time... was spent on business... only 1% setting up or cleaning up after these hotel nights."

• Cleaning Up Controversy: The prosecution suggests that the cleanup was to conceal illicit activities, while Perez maintains it was purely practical.

  Andrea Canning [06:08]:
  "The prosecution paints it as they're cleaning up because they don't want anybody to know about these freak offs... But on cross-examination, Jonathan... said it was to avoid dirtying the hotel room."

3. Examination of Text Messages with Christina Coram (KK)

The prosecution introduced text messages between Perez and Christina Coram (referred to as KK) to suggest a conspiracy.

• Prosecutors' Angle: They aim to portray KK as a co-conspirator involved in the illicit activities surrounding the "king nights."

  Chloe Melas [07:18]:
  "The government is trying to show that Combs was carrying out illegal activity via these king nights... using employees to help carry out that illicit activity."

• Defense's Position: A defense insider indicated that KK would not testify, dismissing her involvement as merely part of her role managing Combs' schedule.

4. The Incident Involving a Compromising Video

Perez testified about a troubling incident where a personal video was found on a work iPad, featuring Jane (a pseudonym) engaging with an escort.

• Prosecutors' View: This incident blurs the lines between personal and professional, suggesting misuse of company resources.

  Chloe Melas [07:30]:
  "Brian Steele is really trying to separate the lines that the government is trying to blur between what happened on the clock and off the clock."

• Defense's Counterargument: Steele questions the appropriateness of accessing personal videos on work devices, implying no direct link to company funds.

5. Testimony on Jane's Participation

The prosecution sought to establish that Jane was willingly involved and never hesitated during the "king nights."

• Jonathan Perez's Testimony: Asserted that Jane was never reluctant and always participated willingly.

  Chloe Melas [09:30]:
  "He says, no. Steele says, she was a willing participant."

• Implications: This undermines any claims that these events were forced or without consent, potentially impacting the prosecution's narrative.

6. Juror Integrity Concerns

An update was provided regarding juror number six, who exhibited confusion about his residence, raising questions about his impartiality.

• Judge's Stance: While the juror remains technically qualified, his personal disclosures about moving raised propriety concerns.

  Chloe Melas [10:49]:
  "The judge said... there are serious questions about his propriety here."

• Defense's Reaction: Diddy's legal team is strongly opposing any repercussions, adding another layer of tension to the trial.

7. Kanye West's Appearance

A surprising highlight of the episode was the appearance of Kanye West at the federal courthouse, adding celebrity intrigue to the trial.

• Arrival and Behavior: Kanye arrived in a Maybach, was surrounded by media, and chose not to enter the courtroom, instead visiting an overflow room and showing support without disrupting proceedings.

  Chloe Melas [13:54]:
  "He did not go into the courtroom. He actually was taken to the 23rd floor... to something called an overflow room."

• Purpose of Visit: According to Diddy's friend Luch, Kanye aimed to "show his love" without interfering with the trial.

  Luch [14:41]:
  "He just wanted to show some love... not trying to be all in the videos and all over the place."

• Future Appearances: There's anticipation that Kanye might return in support in the coming weeks.

8. Current Status and Future Proceedings

Andrea Canning concludes with an update on the trial's progression.

• Prosecution's Agenda: With a summary witness remaining, the prosecution may wrap up by Wednesday, allowing Diddy's defense team to commence their phase on Thursday.

  Chloe Melas [15:44]:
  "They have a summary witness, and we could see a few of those. So they could be finished as early as Wednesday."

• Possibility of Combs Testifying: While speculative, there's uncertainty about whether Sean Combs will take the stand.

  Luch [16:02]:
  "That's not my area of expertise, so I wouldn't know that."

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Notable Quotes

• Chloe Melas [02:57]:
  "Jonathan had such a calm, affable demeanor... he still respects him present day."

• Chloe Melas [03:55]:
  "99% of his time... was spent on business... only 1% setting up or cleaning up after these hotel nights."

• Chloe Melas [07:18]:
  "The government is trying to show that Combs was carrying out illegal activity via these king nights... using employees to help carry out that illicit activity."

• Chloe Melas [09:30]:
  "He says, no. Steele says, she was a willing participant."

• Luch [14:41]:
  "He just wanted to show some love... not trying to be all in the videos and all over the place."

Conclusion

This episode of Dateline: True Crime Weekly offers a thorough examination of the Sean Combs trial, shedding light on critical testimonies, legal strategies, and unexpected celebrity involvement. Andrea Canning, along with guest Chloe Melas, provides listeners with nuanced insights and real-time updates, ensuring that even those not following the trial closely can grasp the complexities at play. As the trial progresses, the anticipation builds for further revelations and high-profile developments, including the potential testimony of Sean Combs himself.

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Stay Informed:
For the latest updates and in-depth analysis from inside the courtroom, visit the NBC newsletter and the Diddy on Trial section at nbcnews.com/diddy.

Transcript

[Sam Sanders]

Hey, I'm journalist Sam Sanders.

[Saeed Jones]

I'm poet Saeed Jones.

[Zach Stafford]

And I'm producer Zach Stafford. And we are the host of a podcast called VibeCheck.

[Sam Sanders]

On Vibe Check, we talk about everything. News, culture and entertainment and how it all feels.

[Zach Stafford]

That's right, we talk about any and everything on our show, from real life issues like grief to music and movie critiques. And that barely scratches the surface.

[Saeed Jones]

Yes, indeed, and it doesn't stop there. We have got a lot to say, so join our group, chat, come to life, follow and listen to Vibe Check. Wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Andrea Canning]

This is ON Trial a special series from Dateline True Crime Weekly bringing you daily coverage from the Sean Combs racketeering trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. I'm Andrea Canning and it's Friday, June 13th. Just a heads up. In this episode, we're going to be talking about some graphic details and harrowing subject matter. Today was eventful. Both inside and briefly outside the courtroom, the prosecution called to the stand yet another witness who once worked as Combs personal assistant. According to prosecutors, his text messages showed the role Combs staff played in setting up his freak offs and maybe keeping them a secret. But the morning arrival of another controversial star stole the show. NBC News correspondent Chloe Meloss is here to tell us what happened when Kanye West's Maybach pulled up to 500 Pearl street, the federal courthouse. Hey, Chloe.

[Chloe Melas]

Hey Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

We will get to that Kanye west appearance in a few minutes, but first let's Talk about Combs. Former assistant Jonathan Perez, he was subpoenaed. He didn't want to testify against his one time boss, but he did.

[Chloe Melas]

Jonathan had such a calm, affable demeanor. I watched him on the stand this afternoon, and he testified that he really enjoyed working for Combs and that he still respects him present day. And Diddy seemed pretty positive during the testimony, and I can see why.

[Andrea Canning]

Hmm. So he worked with Sean Combs when Cassie Ventura's lawsuit was filed?

[Chloe Melas]

He did. And he also overlapped with Jane. And he was one of the people that helped set up those hotel nights. But it was something that he called king nights.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, now we have freak offs, hotel nights and king nights.

[Chloe Melas]

And we had heard some of those terms in different civil suits, Andrea, that had been filed in the months leading up to this trial. But now we're starting to learn that they're all synonymous.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, so what did we learn about his routine of preparing for these nights?

[Chloe Melas]

So Jonathan testified that he would set up everything from baby oil lighting, getting food and beverages. There was at least one occasion. He testified that the hotel room in New York City was under his own name. But he characterized all of this as just the personal side of his job. That 99% of his time, that's exactly what he said, was spent on business, doing the love album, business meetings. And that only 1% of his time was setting up or cleaning up after these hotel nights. And getting drugs was something that, yes, he had done. But again, it only took up a little bit of his time. He also testified under cross examination when Brian Steele got up there, he said that sometimes work and personal all blurred together, and he has no idea if company funds were used to pay for any of those illegal things.

[Andrea Canning]

He also, he testified, was required to frequent sex shops.

[Chloe Melas]

Yes. So Jonathan on the stand said that he would get lingerie, he would go buy it for Jane, he would go to sex shops, but that he really considered this to be personal time between Diddy and whatever girlfriend he was with, whether it was Jane or somebody else. Yeah.

[Andrea Canning]

Perez also testified that he and other staff members would clean up the room after the nights. We've heard a little bit about that from other witnesses.

[Chloe Melas]

So there's two ways to look at this, Andrea, at cleaning up these hotel rooms. The prosecution paints it as they're cleaning up because they don't want anybody to know about these freak offs, these hotel nights, these king nights, because they don't want anyone to know that escorts were there. They don't want the public to find out. They don't want the hotel to find out. But on cross examination, you have Jonathan Perez telling Brian Steele that this was actually done because they didn't want the hotel staff to have to clean up baby oil and go into a really dirty, messy, chaotic room. And Brian Steele said, so you're doing this to be helpful. To which Jonathan testified, yes.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, Chloe, what felt new today was that the prosecution read a number of Perez's text with Christina Coram or kk, who was helping to run Combs day to day schedule. Why did they read those text messages?

[Chloe Melas]

We have heard so much about her, and the big question I get all the time is, is KK Gonna testify? And I actually spoke to someone familiar with Diddy's defense strategy, and they say that she is absolutely not stepping foot in this courthouse. Prosecutors are trying to paint her as a co conspirator who was Combs conspiring with. And so when you're looking at these text messages today, you have KK saying is PD meaning is Puff Daddy at the hotel yet? To which Jonathan responds, he's on the way per security. And then you have kk who's liking the message. So what they're trying to do with these text messages, the government, is to try to show that Combs was carrying out illegal activity via these king nights, these hotel nights, and using employees to help carry out that illicit activity.

[Andrea Canning]

The prosecutor asked Perez about an incident involving a video he found of one of the freak offs and how KK handled that. What did Perez testify that she did?

[Chloe Melas]

We've learned throughout this trial that Diddy enjoyed filming at times, these sexual encounters with these male escorts, whether it was with Cassie or with Jane. And in this particular instance, Jonathan, he testified that somebody else who was working for Diddy found a video of Jane having sex with another man, potentially an escort. And Diddy's in the video. So this is found on an iPad in the house. And he testifies that he reaches out to KK and he's like, this is not good. Right? This is on the work iPad. And there's discussion as to how could that have gotten on there. Right. But on cross examination, you have steel saying, okay, so this is a work iPad. You basically freak out when you find this because this type of personal video, you've never seen anything like it before on a work laptop or a work iPad. And you're concerned because this is personal. So Brian Steele is really trying to separate the lines that the government is trying to blur that there were things that happened on the clock and off the clock. And there were things that employees knew and things that they didn't.

[Andrea Canning]

Christina, KK hasn't spoken out much since her name has been brought up in the Combs allegations, first in a number of civil suits against him and now multiple times at trial. Khloe, she did release a statement to Rolling Stone back in March.

[Chloe Melas]

Right. And we've read parts of this to you all before. But some of what she said was that for months, horrific accusations have been made about me in various lawsuits regarding my former boss and that she's confident that these allegations against her will be proven to be untrue.

[Andrea Canning]

On cross examination, Combs defense attorney Brian Steele asked Perez about Jane, pseudonym Jane, and whether he thought she was reluctant to participate in the hotel nights, as she called them.

[Chloe Melas]

You have him being called as a government witness, and he's up there because he's worked for Combs for years. He worked for Combs right up until he was arrested in September 2024. This isn't somebody with a hazy memory who is talking about something that happened 10 years ago. This is seemingly fresh. And Brian Steele says, did you ever get the feeling that Jane was hesitant to participate in King Nights? He says, no. Steele says that she was a willing participant. Jonathan testified, yes. Steele then says, was she ever upset or unhappy after a King Knight? Jonathan testifies, no.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, that's big.

[Chloe Melas]

And we also know. Yes. And we also know that Jonathan was, according to his testimony, close with Jane. He would shop for her, not just lingerie, that she trusted him, that he had her best interest at heart, and he would see her often. Because it sounds like Jonathan Perez was a fixture in Combs day to day life for years.

[Andrea Canning]

Chloe, we have been talking this week about juror number six and possible issues with that juror, and you have a big update.

[Chloe Melas]

So the issue was about where the juror lives, whether or not he still lives in the Bronx, and that the juror had been slightly confused but not deceitful. That's how the judge characterized it. We also learned that this came to light because he himself had said something to the jury staff. Offhand. He seemed to have said something about recently moving in with his girlfriend and his daughter in New Jersey. So the judge said, even if he is technically qualified as to where he lives, there are serious questions about his propriety here. I just want to point out, though, that this is strongly being opposed by Diddy's legal defense team. So we shall see.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay. When we come back, only a handful of celebrities have come to Sean Combs defense in the year and a half since Cassie Ventura's lawsuit. But today, one superstar made a show of support.

[Sam Sanders]

Hey, I'm journalist Sam Sanders.

[Saeed Jones]

I'm poet Saeed Jones.

[Zach Stafford]

And I'm producer Zach Stafford. And we are the hosts of a podcast called Vibe Check.

[Sam Sanders]

On Vibe Check, we talk about everything. News, culture and entertainment and how it all feels.

[Zach Stafford]

That's right, we talk about any and everything on our show, from real life issues like grief to music and movie critiques. And that barely scratches the surface.

[Saeed Jones]

Yes, indeed. And it doesn't stop there. We have got a lot to say, so join our group, chat, come to life, follow and listen to Vibe Check wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Andrea Canning]

All right, welcome back. So, Chloe, you were hearing yesterday that Kanye west is in New York and was trying to come to Combs trial, and that he did.

[Chloe Melas]

He pulled up in a Maybach. Cameras swarmed him. And our own pool camera actually got it.

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Kanye, why'd you show up today?

[Chloe Melas]

Is he about testifying? Kylie who? Young, supportive, but he did not go into the courtroom. He actually was taken to the 23rd floor. The courtroom is on the 26th floor to something called an overflow room. We've told y' all about this before. This is where members of the public go. This is where media that doesn't make it into the courtroom that day go. And you watch the trial on TV screens. We don't know why he didn't go into the actual courtroom. I did interview this afternoon, a guy named Luch. He's a good friend of Diddy's. He's been in the courtroom every single day. And I interviewed him on NBC earlier, and he said it was actually Kanye's decision not to go into the courtroom.

[Luch]

That was his choice. He didn't. He didn't want to go and destroy nothing. So he just wanted to just show his love. And you know what I'm saying? He. He's not trying to be all in the videos and all over the place, so he just came in to show some love.

[Chloe Melas]

So there was some chatter that perhaps Kanye was here to testify, and that is not the case. We have no indication that he's going to be called as a defense witness. But Luch did say that he expects Kanye to come back at some point, so we could see that again next week.

[Andrea Canning]

Kanye was at the courthouse for about a half hour.

[Chloe Melas]

It's unclear if he was frustrated because he wasn't in the main courtroom or because they broke for lunch shortly after he got there, and he didn't want to wait around. And I know from Luch that he actually left and had lunch with some of Combs's family and his kids around the corner, and people were just as excited about Kanye leaving. Kanye, we love you, Kanye. We love you, Kanye, I love you, bro. We love you, bro.

[Andrea Canning]

Khloe, the prosecution is still not done.

[Chloe Melas]

They have a summary witness, and we could see a few of those. So they could be finished as early as Wednesday and we could see Diddy's team start Thursday.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay. And is there any chance that Sean Combs himself would testify?

[Chloe Melas]

I asked that to Luch today, and he said he had no idea.

[Luch]

That's not my area of expertise, so I wouldn't know that.

[Chloe Melas]

But is there a chance? I don't know.

[Luch]

I don't know. I won't know.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay. Thank you, Chloe. Enjoy your weekend.

[Chloe Melas]

Thank you. You too.

[Andrea Canning]

I hope all of our listeners enjoy their weekend. Thank you all for listening. We'll be back with a new episode on Monday. If you want to read the latest developments and analysis from inside the courtroom, check out the NBC newsletter. Diddy on trial go to nbcnews.com diddy to find that. On Trial is produced by Franny Kelly with help from the Dateline True Crime Weekly team. Our senior producers are Alison Orr and Liz Brown Karloff. Original Music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan is executive producer, and Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline.

[Sam Sanders]

Hey, I'm journalist Sam Sanders.

[Saeed Jones]

I'm poet Saeed Jones.

[Zach Stafford]

And I'm producer Zach Stafford. And we are the hosts of a podcast called Vibe Check.

[Sam Sanders]

On Vibe Check, we talk about everything. News, culture, and entertainment and how it all feels.

[Zach Stafford]

That's right. We talk about any and everything on our show, from real life issues like grief to music and movie critiques. And that barely scratches the surface.

[Saeed Jones]

Yes, indeed. And it doesn't stop there. We have got a lot to say, so join our group, chat, come to life, follow and listen to vibecheck wherever you get your podcasts.