Cassie’s ex-stylist: We hid 'too many times to count' to stop Diddy 'attack'

Summary

Diddy On Trial: Cassie’s Ex-Stylist - We Hid 'Too Many Times to Count' to Stop Diddy 'Attack'

Release Date: May 28, 2025
Host: Anushka Matandadawati
Broadcasted By: BBC Sounds

---

**1. Trial Setting and Initial Developments

Timestamp Reference: [00:39] - [01:54]

The episode kicks off with Anushka Matandadawati reporting from the Southern District of New York Courthouse, highlighting a tumultuous day marked by:

• Protests and Altercations: Early morning saw clashes between protesters and vloggers outside the courthouse, necessitating police intervention.
• Key Testimony: Capricorn Clark took the stand for the prosecution, delivering an emotional account alleging that "Diddy kidnapped her at gunpoint, then broke into rapper Kid Cudi's house in a plot to kill him" ([01:19]).

Sean "Diddy" Combs faces severe charges including sex trafficking, racketeering with conspiracy, and transportation for prostitution—all charges he vehemently denies.

---

**2. Prosecution's Evidence and Defense's Objections

Timestamp Reference: [02:08] - [04:25]

Destruction of Evidence:

• The prosecution presented findings about attempted arson on Kid Cudi's Porsche, involving a supposed Molotov cocktail ([02:08]).
• DNA Evidence: Only a partial match to a woman was recovered from the scene, but crucially, additional fingerprints were "destroyed the same year" by the LAPD's arson investigator ([02:50]).

Defense's Reaction:

• Combs' attorney, Mark Agnifolo, labeled the prosecutor's inquiry into the destroyed evidence as "outrageous" ([03:21]).
• Agnifolo sought a mistrial, arguing that the prosecution's insinuations could prejudice the jury, but the judge declined, opting instead to instruct the jury to disregard the compromised evidence ([03:34]).

Additional Evidence:

• A black leather glove found in Kid Cudi's car was dismissed by the LAPD official as Kid Cudi's personal item, leading defense attorneys to question its relevance ([03:56]).

---

**3. Witness Testimony: Deontay Nash’s Account

Timestamp Reference: [04:25] - [09:50]

Introduction of Deontay Nash:

• Deontay Nash, Cassie’s ex-stylist who worked with Diddy and Cassie since 2008, took the stand displaying a mix of humor and seriousness.
• Notable Quote: Upon being asked if he was subpoenaed voluntarily, Nash responded with snarky remarks that elicited laughter from the courtroom ([04:44]).

Testimony Highlights:

• Incidents of Violence: Nash detailed three key incidents, including:
  • Assault on Cassie: Described how Diddy threw Cassie onto her bed frame, causing a significant injury ([05:58]).
    • Nash intervened, attempting to stop the assault, and tried to call 911 but was instructed to halt by an unidentified individual ([06:12]).
  • Threats Over Sex Tapes: Recounted an episode where Diddy threatened to release Cassie's sex tapes, to which Nash noted Diddy's own involvement in such tapes would implicate him as well ([07:00]).
  • Forced Participation in Freak Offs: On Cassie’s 29th birthday, despite her reluctance, Diddy coerced her into engaging in a "freak off," compelling her to pack her duffel bag for an event she did not consent to ([08:05]).

Emotional Complexity:

• Despite witnessing and experiencing alleged abuse, Nash expressed lingering affection for Diddy.
  • Quote: "My whole 20s, this man's sanity was my safety." ([09:29])

---

**4. Courtroom Dynamics and Media Presence

Timestamp Reference: [09:50] - [13:34]

Media and Influencer Influx:

• The trial attracted a myriad of influencers and civilian journalists, some even employing bodyguards—a first in such high-profile cases ([10:16]).
• This convergence led to an eclectic and sometimes disruptive courtroom atmosphere, as highlighted during lunch breaks and ongoing testimonies ([10:38]).

Cross-Examination Challenges:

• Duration and Tension: Deontay Nash's cross-examination extended well beyond expected times, causing delays and frustration among court personnel ([10:56]).
• Notable Interactions:
  • Nash consistently referred to Cassie as "Mrs. Fine," acknowledging her new marriage to Alex Fine, which underscored their ongoing friendship ([11:27]).
  • Upon announcing Cassie's third child during his testimony, the courtroom reacted with immediate outbursts, including reporters hastily exiting ([12:02]).

Key Points Addressed:

• Control Over Cassie’s Career: Nash testified that Diddy controlled Cassie's professional image, from music releases to her iconic "Cassie cut" hairstyle, portraying it as both control and Diddy's good judgment ([12:06]).
  • Quote: "We picked whatever outfit he wanted. We picked whatever hairstyle he wanted. He ended up picking out one hairstyle for Cassie that made her... iconic." ([12:06])

Judge’s Interventions:

• Judge Arun Subramaniam maintained strict courtroom decorum, making swift rulings on objections and procedural matters ([10:38], [13:18]).

---

**5. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Proceedings

Timestamp Reference: [13:34] - [15:19]

As the day concluded, reporters reflected on the intense proceedings and anticipated future testimonies. The host, Anushka Matandadawati, encouraged listeners to engage with the podcast by submitting questions, which will be addressed in a forthcoming roundup episode featuring criminal defense attorney Sean Kent.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Capricorn Clark: "Diddy kidnapped me at gunpoint, then broke into Kid Cudi's house to kill him." ([01:19])
• Deontay Nash: "My whole 20s, this man's sanity was my safety." ([09:29])
• Deontay Nash on Controlling Cassie’s Image: "We picked whatever outfit he wanted. We picked whatever hairstyle he wanted." ([12:06])

---

Conclusion

This episode of Diddy On Trial provides a gripping account of the ongoing trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs, delving deep into allegations of violence, coercion, and control. Through detailed witness testimonies and the unfolding courtroom drama, listeners gain an intricate understanding of the complex relationships and legal battles at play. The inclusion of notable quotes and real-time reporting enhances the narrative, making it accessible and engaging for those following the high-stakes trial.

Transcript

[Simon Jack]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Zing Singh]

I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

The podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people.

[Zing Singh]

In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Simon Jack]

Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

That's good. Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now, wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

BBC Sounds Music Radio podcasts. Hello, and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds. With me, Anushkum Tandadawati. Just a warning. This episode contains descriptions of violence. This morning I'm back at the Southern District of New York Courthouse, which is where we are every day. It's pretty busy here. I'm hearing there's been some altercations this morning between some protesters and people vlogging outside, and the police had to come and break it up. It was a very dramatic day on Tuesday with Capricorn Clark taking the stand.

[Madeleine Halpert]

To give evidence for the prosecution.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

She was very emotional and told the court that Diddy kidnapped her at gunpoint, then broke into rapper Kid Cudi's house in a plot to kill him. Now, a reminder, Sean Diddy Combs is on trial for charges of sex trafficking, racketeering with conspiracy and transportation for prostitution. These are charges he's always denied. Now, today we're expecting four witnesses from the prosecution. So I'm heading into court now. I'm going to turn my phone off and be uncontactable for about six hours. See you later on.

[Madeleine Halpert]

So it's 4:30. We've just ducked out of the court because it's absolutely chucking it down. We've made it down to our favorite cafe. Very kindly shelter us from the rain. I'm here with Madeleine Halpert, the BBC's New York digital reporter.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, so at the beginning of the day, we heard more about the sort of interaction between Combs and rapper Kit Cuddy. So we heard from a Los Angeles Police Department officer as well as an arson investigator with the Los Angeles Fire Department. And the arson investigator told us more about this alleged bombing of Kid Cudi's Porsche. So we saw pictures of the car and the bottle that was supposed to be a Molotov cocktail that set fire to the car. And we also heard about whether any DNA was able to be recovered from the scene. So they were able to take some prints from the scene, one that was a partial match to a woman, but they didn't get more information than that. And then probably the most dramatic part of the morning was they said there were other fingerprints that were taken from the scene. But the arson investigator said that the LAPD actually destroyed the evidence that same year and that usually he would be involved in any decision like that. So that kind of started this big argument from Combs attorneys who did not want that evidence to be included. They were angry. They said basically that the questioning from prosecutors about this was making it seem like, quote, somebody in the room was responsible for the destruction of this evidence.

[Madeleine Halpert]

But is it true that they asked for mistrial so the whole trial to be stopped? Because didn't he say something like that? Bell can't be unrung.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yes. Combs lawyer Mark Agnifolo called it outrageous. Prosecutor's line of questioning. And he moved for a mistrial. It's not the first time they've done it, and it probably won't be the last time. So, yeah, they were just arguing that it was outrageous that they brought up this line of questioning and that jurors would not be able to go back. Of course, prosecutors did not agree with that. So the judge, he decided a middle ground in that. He said, we're going to just give an instruction to the jury to disregard it. But he rejected their motion for a mistrial.

[Madeleine Halpert]

By the time I came in, they were arguing over the fact that they'd found a black leather glove in the back of the car and that hadn't been collected as evidence. And they were saying the LA Fire Department officer was saying that it belonged to Kid Cudi. That's why they didn't take it in.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

Yeah.

[Mark Agnifolo]

It was one of several lines from Comp's attorneys that kind of brought up. And then we lost. But he was pressing him about why they didn't include it in the report. And the fire department official was basically just like, Kid Cudi told me that was his glove. So it was not relevant to the investigation. And we moved on.

[Madeleine Halpert]

And the rest of the day, we were all kind of waiting for this person called Mia to take the stand. We've heard a lot about her. We've heard just now that her testimony is probably going to last about two days. We knew that someone called Deontay Nash was coming on next, but we didn't know exactly what his testimony was going to be like. I mean, he had people laughing within the first five seconds.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, he was the most colorful witness we've seen so far. I would say. I mean, they asked him if he was subpoenaed there and if he wanted to be there, and his response was absolutely not. So a lot of snark. And that got a lot of laughs from from even the attorneys questioning him as well as other people in the audience. But he had other answers that were very funny. At one point, one of Combs attorneys asked him how he was doing, and he said blessed, which is not something we typically hear when somebody's on the stand.

[Madeleine Halpert]

So Deontay Nash is a stylist who worked with Diddy and Cassie from 2008. So they put up a picture of him like they often do the prosecution, and they say, is this a fair and accurate representation of you? And it was obviously a headshot. Quite a glamorous headshot.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah. They said, that's kind of a glamour shot of you. And he said, yes, I look amazing. He had those kind of more colorful, lighthearted responses throughout his testimony, which was about quite a dark subject.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Yeah, I was going to say the juxtaposition is quite stark. But when they start speaking to him, it's clear that they're drawing out lots of different facts about lots of different elements of Cassie's original testimony, particularly pertaining to the violence and coercive control that they allege she experienced. He did walk us through some what he described as notable moments of violence. What did he tell us about?

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, there were. I think he said that he witnessed a lot of violence, but there were three incidents in particular that stuck out to him. One incident we'd actually heard about before. It was an incident where Cassie was badly injured. She got a big gash in her eyebrow when she said Combs threw her onto her bed frame. And we had heard that there were two other people there during that incident, and Nash was one of them. So we heard kind of his version of events today. And he described jumping on Combs back and being thrown off, trying to get him to stop attacking Cassie. He said actually that Combs didn't stop beating up Cassie after she hit her head on the bed frame until he saw all this blood and then kind of panicked. But, yeah, he said he tried to call 911 and then somebody told him to stop. He didn't remember who. And then in the end, Combs had a security person take Cassie to the plastic surgeon to get this scar fixed. So that sort of speaks to the racketeering element of prosecutor's case.

[Madeleine Halpert]

And didn't Diddy say something to them after that attack?

[Mark Agnifolo]

He said, look what y' all made me do, according to Nash.

[Madeleine Halpert]

And then she was taken to the plastic surgeon by somebody called Drock. Now, if you've been following the case, you'd have heard that name before. He was the head of Diddy's security. And in outlining that, during that particular piece of testimony that speaks to the RICO charge, because that's a member of the alleged criminal organization or company, depending how you see it, covering up the alleged abuse and physical violence. That wasn't the last example he gave. He spoke about another time in 2013, 2014. The dates are a little bit vague because he was saying, you know, he's like, I'm giving an estimate because it's a long time. But this was one where we got his side of the story about how Cassie felt about the freak offs.

[Mark Agnifolo]

There was one incident where Cassie and Nash were cooking at her house, and Combs came in and started yelling at her. And they were able to get away. And they were driving away, but Combs, he called them and told them to pull over so that he could come and talk to them. And Nash says that he came up to the window and knocked on the window and was yelling at Cassie and told her, like, I'm gonna release your sex tapes. I'm gonna send it to your parents jobs.

[Madeleine Halpert]

We kind of get an idea about how little he says he knew about Cassie and Diddy's sex life. Because his response immediately is. Nash's response is, well, girl, just let him release them. He's in the sex tapes too. So, like, he's gonna do himself reputational damage too.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah. And that's when Cassie responded, actually, no, he's just filming me having sex with other men. He's not actually in these videos. So. Yeah. And she, I think, also told him at that time, he asked her if she wanted to be doing these freak offs, and she said, no, she did not want to be doing it.

[Madeleine Halpert]

And then he paints a picture in telling the court about an incident where she just wanted to go out and have fun with her friends. But that's not what ended up happening.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, it was her 29th birthday, I believe, and they were all out. And then they ended up going to a karaoke bar. They found their way back to Cassie's house. And Nash says he saw Cassie packing a black duffel bag. And that duffel bag is what she packed anytime she went to go to a hotel to have these freak offs. And she told Nash that she didn't want to be doing this on her birthday, but he was making her do it.

[Madeleine Halpert]

But in a similar way to lots of other employees that we've heard from, assistants, executive assistants, even Cassie herself, they have all said, despite either witnessing alleged instances of violence, or in Cassie's case, she said, you know, suffering at the hand of Diddy at firsthand, they all kept in contact with him post these events.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, we've heard that from Cassie. We've heard that from other employees. And then we heard that from Nash again today that he still had some sort of affection toward him even after all of this. He said, My whole 20s, this man's sanity was my safety. So there's really complicated relationships between a lot of the people who worked for him and even Cassie, a victim of his alleged abuse.

[Madeleine Halpert]

And then we broke for lunch, and we kind of have a little bit of time. It's a long day today. I just want to talk about lunchtime really quickly because me and you went to go and get a sandwich. We've been talking about the ecosystem of influencers and podcasters and broadcasters around this trial, and I just thought it was interesting that now some influencers have started hiring their own bodyguards to bring to the courthouse. I've never seen anything like this before.

[Mark Agnifolo]

I never have either. And I've covered several trials, including the Trump trial. I've never seen this amount of civilian journalists. I mean, we've heard from people who told us they do, like, a health and fitness podcast, but now they're pivoting to the Diddy trial because it's just such a massive amount of views. So it makes for a really odd scene around and even inside the courtroom with all these people from very different backgrounds in one place.

[Madeleine Halpert]

But then we came back in for cross examination. Now, cross examination wasn't exactly the smoothest process this afternoon. Judge Arun Subramaniam, he makes decisions very quickly, particularly around objections and whether there should be mistrials, etc. But Donaldson began cross examination, and it was long.

[Mark Agnifolo]

He was going over a lot of the details that we've already heard. He kept asking him to kind of specify exactly how he ended up working as a stylist. At one point, he asked him what a stylist does, which we'd already been over.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Tiance was rolling his eyes at some point, but he also was quite firm when the cross examination began. And they said, oh, so we're going to ask you about Ms. Ventura. And he said, Ms. Is fine. I thought that was interesting, but it was consistent with the kind of vibe he'd brought to the stand the entire day. And if anyone's asking why we're saying, Mrs. Fine, it's because Cassie is now.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

Married to a man called Alex Fine.

[Madeleine Halpert]

And so. So Deontay Nash was making a point.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

Of clarifying that on the stand that.

[Madeleine Halpert]

She is now in a new relationship.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, absolutely. He made that a real point. Mrs. Fine, he said. And Donaldson kept repeating it back to him and putting a lot of emphasis on that Miss is fine. And I think you kind of get in that sense that he's still friends with Cassie. He just told us that he just congratulated Cassie yesterday for having her third baby.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Yeah.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

And that was a bit of a.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Bombshell because immediately about 15 reporters stood up and ran out of the room when he'd announced, including you, when he announced that Cassie has given birth. So, yeah, it does speak to how close they are.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

So there was a bit of tension.

[Madeleine Halpert]

In the cross examination, back and forth.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, he talked a lot about her music career and how much money Donaldson, that is, how much money Combs must have spent on her studio time to try to counter this narrative from prosecutors that Cassie's career was stalled because Combs didn't let her release that many albums or music in terms of her hair. We also heard a lot from the prosecutors asking Nash about, did Combs have to approve all of her looks? And he said, yes, we picked whatever outfit he wanted. We picked whatever hairstyle he wanted. And once again, Donaldson was trying to chip away that narrative a bit, you know, pointing out that Combs, he ended up picking out one hairstyle for Cassie that made her, quote, iconic known for that hairstyle. So that it wasn't just about him controlling her, but it was about. Because he had good judgment and good taste.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Yeah. For anyone who is sort of uninitiated in the world of early R and B pop girls, Cassie had kind of one side of her head shaved and the other side very long and loose waves. And it was an extremely recognizable hairstyle. And it was called the Cassie cut. So they were really playing on that. And then the cross examination is still going on, but when we're supposed to be out by three, it was still going on up until four o' clock. And then Donaldson said, you know, I am very confident that this is going to go on and on. At which point the judge got a bit prickly again.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Yeah, he wanted them to be done with Nash by the end of the day, and that's why we all stayed longer. And then he got angry at Donaldson, saying, did you know this already when we were discussing the timeline? And Donaldson claimed that no, he's just realizing that it was going to take a long time to finish it.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Madeline, thank you so much for filling us in on what was going down today.

[Mark Agnifolo]

Thanks for chatting with me.

[Madeleine Halpert]

That was Madeline Halpert, the BBC's New York digital reporter.

[Anushka Matandadawati]

Now, if you're listening in the UK and you'd like support on any of the issues we've been talking about in this program, you can go to BBC.co.uk actionline that's it for this episode of Diddy On Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anishka Matandadawati. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. And keep sending us those questions on WhatsApp. You can get us at 033-01-235551. That's 033-01-23551. We'll be going through them after court on Thursday with our resident criminal defence attorney Sean Kent in our roundup episode. Thanks for listening.

[Simon Jack]

There was terror that it could tear the house down on BBC Sounds. This is Sports Strangest Crimes.

[Madeleine Halpert]

A French football scandal betrayal plot. We've gone beyond women's football in France.

[Simon Jack]

Confessions of the match fix. This is the shocking moment English football has been dreading.

[Madeleine Halpert]

Bloodgate.

[Simon Jack]

I'm not sure we've had anything like.

[Madeleine Halpert]

It before since in terms of what.

[Simon Jack]

It actually meant for the sport. Sport's Strangest Crimes Listen on BBC Sounds.

[Zing Singh]

I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

The podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people.

[Zing Singh]

In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Simon Jack]

Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.