He Was So Interesting To The Hilfigers, The Trumps, The Winfreys

Summary

Summary of "He Was So Interesting To The Hilfigers, The Trumps, The Winfreys" – The Trial of Diddy

Release Date: May 1, 2025
Hosts: Kayla Brantley, Germania Rodriguez & Marjorie Hernandez

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Introduction

In this episode of The Trial of Diddy, Marjorie Hernandez delves deep into the tumultuous life of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Facing serious federal charges in New York, including sex trafficking and running a criminal enterprise, Diddy's fall from a global music mogul to a defendant gripping the world's attention is explored through legal updates and personal testimonies.

Legal Proceedings and Developments

The episode opens with an overview of the charges against Diddy, who maintains his innocence by pleading not guilty to all allegations, including sex trafficking and racketeering (00:02). Marjorie Hernandez, West Coast News Editor at DailyMail.com, shares that recent weeks have seen four lawsuits alleging sexual assault against Combs.

Defense Strategies:

• Diddy's legal team requested a gag order to prevent attorneys from commenting publicly, aiming to shield the jury pool from negative publicity (02:00).
• Specifically targeting Douglas Wigdor, who represents Combs's ex, Cassie Ventura, the defense sought to exclude a 2016 surveillance video showing Diddy allegedly attacking Ventura. However, the judge allowed the video to be presented as evidence (02:00).
• Combs's attorneys also argue that Diddy's alleged drug and alcohol use may have impaired his mental capacity, challenging the relevance of psychiatrist Dr. Eli Aoun's testimony (02:00).

Prosecution's Stance:

• Prosecutors oppose the defense's motion, emphasizing the necessity to establish Diddy's "guilty mind" and control over his actions to secure a conviction (02:00).

Notable Quote:

"We will vigorously oppose a motion seeking extraordinary sweeping gag order as it is an obvious attempt at controlling and silencing victims and their counsel." – Douglas Wigdor, representing Cassie Ventura (02:00)

Personal Insights from Tim Patterson

The heart of the episode features an exclusive interview with Tim Patterson, an award-winning record producer and childhood friend of Diddy. Tim recounts their early years growing up together in Mount Vernon, New York, and provides a nostalgic yet critical perspective on Diddy's rise to fame.

Childhood Memories:

• Tim and Diddy met in the early 1970s when their families moved to the north side of Mount Vernon.
• Tim describes Diddy as a unique and stylish child, already showing signs of the charisma that would later define his career (05:56).

Diddy's Rise in the Music Industry:

• At just 17, Diddy secured a position at Uptown Records, marking the beginning of his influential journey in the music business (19:13).
• Tim highlights Diddy's infectious personality and relentless drive, noting how he became the cornerstone of Uptown Records, leading to unprecedented success (26:01).

Challenges at Uptown Records:

• Despite Diddy's success, his behavior sometimes caused friction within the company. Tim recalls instances where Diddy's disruptive actions were both tolerated and managed by executives like Andre Harrell (21:15).
• The eventual fallout led to Diddy's departure from Uptown Records, a move that deeply affected their friendship and Diddy's career trajectory (22:30).

Notable Quote:

"Sean was the industry's little brother. That was the pest. You know, Sean told me one time before he was 20 years old, he was like, yo, I need to speak to Michael Jackson." – Tim Patterson on Diddy's early influence and personality (21:15)

Reflection on Current Allegations

Tim Patterson grapples with the stark contrast between the Diddy he knew and the man now facing serious legal accusations. He expresses a mix of disbelief, sadness, and introspection about his friend's possible transformation.

Emotional Turmoil:

• Tim describes witnessing Diddy's transformation from a beloved friend to someone potentially unrecognizable due to his alleged actions (28:53).
• He reflects on the broader implications of Diddy's case, especially concerning fatherless children and the impact of mentorship and upbringing on one's path (28:53).

Notable Quote:

"It's bittersweet seeing the position he's in right now. Sean saved me from whatever is going on in the industry... But the bitter part is you're watching this kid that you grew up with you damn near raised for a portion of his life." – Tim Patterson on the emotional impact of Diddy's situation (28:53)

Conclusion

As Diddy's trial looms just days away, Tim Patterson's heartfelt account provides listeners with a nuanced view of a man who once seemed larger than life. The episode underscores the complexities of fame, friendship, and the human capacity for change, leaving audiences to ponder the real Sean Combs beyond the headlines.

Final Thoughts:

• The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding a person's background and the multifaceted nature of their character before passing judgment.
• It also serves as a reflection on the responsibilities that come with influence and the potential consequences of one's actions on personal relationships and public perception.

Additional Information

For more insights and updates on The Trial of Diddy, follow the hosts on X and Instagram @thetrialpod, or contact them via email at [e-mail]. Listeners are encouraged to leave comments on Spotify or send voice notes through WhatsApp at [phone] (start your message with 'Trial').

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This summary is intended for informational purposes and reflects the content of the podcast episode as provided.

Transcript

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Seriously popular. The following episode explores a number of allegations regarding the artist Diddy. He denies all charges and has pled not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

[Tim Patterson]

The biggest secret in the entertainment industry that really wasn't a secret at all.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Has finally been revealed to the world.

[Tim Patterson]

At the height of his career, Sean Diddy Combs had it all. It seemed like everything Diddy touched turned to gold. Now the once untouchable hip hop mogul is fighting for his life as he faces multiple federal charges in New York, including sex trafficking and allegedly running a criminal enterprise.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Music mogul and rapper Sean Diddy Combs has faced four different lawsuits in recent weeks alleging sexual assault.

[Tim Patterson]

Combs can be seen grabbing Ventura and.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Throwing her to the ground. Oh, this guy is dangerous.

[Tim Patterson]

Every woman has now come forward.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

A legend comes of sexual assault. She was drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs.

[Tim Patterson]

I'm DailyMail.com journalist Marjorie Hernandez, and over the last six months, I've been investigating this incredible story and speaking to the people in the eye of the storm. Welcome to the Trial of Diddy. Hey, I'm Marjorie Hernandez, DailyMail.com's West coast news editor. And welcome to episode 35 of the trial of Diddy. We're now just five days from jury selection and 12 days from the beginning of the trial itself. We started this podcast back in October of last year, thinking maybe there'll be enough material to do one or two shows a month. Well, now, 35 weeks later, we have never missed a week and sometimes we've had to record extra bonus episodes and so much has happened. A huge thanks to everyone who's been with us from the beginning or picked us up over time.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Thank you.

[Tim Patterson]

Your comments, texts and emails are always welcome. So what's happened this week? Well, just yesterday, Tuesday, April 29th, Diddy's legal team asked Judge Subramanian to prevent other attorneys from openly commenting on his case. The attorneys claimed that several attorneys represent alleged victims and witnesses continue to muddy the jury pool with, quote, negative publicity towards their client. Combs's team have specified Douglas Wigdor, who represents Combs's ex, Cassie Ventura, for speaking to the media. They attempted to keep the 2016 Los Angeles hallway surveillance video of Diddy pulling and dragging Cassie by the hair from being played for jurors. But the judge ruled it will remain as evidence. Wigdor told DailyMail.com he plans to file a response to the gag order request. The saying, quote, we will vigorously oppose a motion seeking extraordinary sweeping gag order as it is an obvious attempt at controlling and silencing victims and their counsel in contravention of well established legal and ethical precedent. Given this, it should come as no surprise that Combs fails to cite even one case to support his requests. Defense attorneys also called out attorney and regular on this pod, Lisa Bloom, who was also representing Don Rashard, who was a former member of Combs's girl group, Danity Kane. Bloom has said Rashad, who filed a civil lawsuit against Combs and claims disgraced bad boy mogul sexually assaulted her, deprived her of food and sleep and refused to pay her adequately, is in fear for her life. In an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com Bloom fired straight back at Combs's attorney saying, quote, the how hypocritical that Mr. Combs and his attorneys, having made public statements many times now want to silence me. Accusers and their attorneys have every right to speak out. I am very proud to represent my brave clients Don Richard and John Doe in litigation against Mr. Combs. I look forward to attending Mr. Combs upcoming criminal trial in New York and continue to advocate for my clients consistent with with the law and the ethical rules. In other news this week, Diddy's lawyers have claimed he might not have been mentally capable of any alleged crimes due to his drug and alcohol use. The motion filed on Sunday, April 27, draws on testimony made by psychiatrist Dr. Eli Aoun. The details of his alleged condition have been redacted in the documents, but there are a few clues that Dr. Aoun will claim that Diddy's mental capacity was affected. Prosecutors are trying to prevent Dr. Arun's testimony and said they don't believe it's relevant. Prosecutors said legal precedent requires the defense to give proper notice before offering any, quote, evidence of effects of drugs and alcohol on a defendant's memory or cognitive function. Another clue in the documents, prosecutors described a doctor's potential testimony as evidence of, quote, the defendant's inability to control behavior. To convict someone of a crime, prosecutors need to prove that a defendant committed the crime and had, quote, a guilty mind. Coming up, we have Diddy's childhood friend and award winning record producer Tim Patterson. But before we speak to him, it's important to state, as we do every week, that Sean Combs have vehemently denied each and every allegation made in all recent lawsuits filed against him and he has also denied all the federal charges that have been filed against him. Like everyone else in the legal system, Diddy remains innocent until such time as he has been proven guilty. And with that being said, here we are with Tim Patterson. Hi, Tim. Thanks again for joining us. We are so honored to have you here.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

What's going on, Marge? How you doing? Thank you.

[Tim Patterson]

So, Tim, can you tell me how you and Sean met?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

We met back in the early 70s. I was living on one side of town in Mount Vernon, New York, and it was the south side of town. That was kind of where, you know, it was the ghetto housing projects, like, and Sean lived on the north side of town, and that was the suburbs. You know, that was where everybody really wanted to be. So I remember the school I was in, it was a bad school. You know, kids were bad. And I used to come home beat up some time, or I used to have a letter coming home from the principal, giving to my mother. And I couldn't go to school for the next few days, you know, so it was starting to become something my mom really didn't want me to be in. And her and my dad got together, and they figured out how to get us out of the south side and move us to the north side. But in the interim of that, you know, we would check out a lot of apartments, stuff my mom really didn't like. But then there was this one house that we drove up to, and it was on the north side of town. I can remember, like, yesterday. Brand new house, trees, birds, you know, not used to what you're seeing on the south side. And we end up stopping in front of the house, and I was surprised that this is where we were going. And this lady comes out. The lady's just, like, gorgeous. I thought it was Diana Ross. Happened to be Sean's mom. She comes out, she greets us, brings us in the house, starts showing us around. And I'm just blown away because the house is brand new. We walked into it and it had a paint, a fresh paint smell. It had a new smell. It didn't have what we're used to walking into in the apartments on the south side. You walk into a building on the south side, you're gonna get something foul that you smell. It's just something that sticks with you. It's not gonna be cute too. Too clean. But at this house, it smelled new, and I was not used to that.

[Tim Patterson]

How old were you at that point, tim?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

This was 1972, so that would make me. It made me five years old. So anyway, my parents and Shawn's mom, they're walking around, and I'm kind of just hanging out, checking out the outside and stuff. And then Shawn's mom, she recognizes that and says, well, hold on, let Me go get Shawn. And I had no idea there was a kid involved. She said, let me go get Shawn. And she went upstairs and this kid comes downstairs and he looked like little Rodney Allen Rippy. I mean, he looked like royalty. He was just a real different looking kid. He stuck out. He didn't have no nappy hair, he didn't have no messed up clothes on. You know, he was really something special. You could tell this guy wasn't a normal kid. At least I could tell.

[Tim Patterson]

How old would you think Diddy was at that point?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

If I was five or six? He was either three or four. Yeah.

[Tim Patterson]

So there's also this picture that you gave to us of you and Sean. For our listeners who can't see it, I'm going to describe it. It's I believe you two in front of your homes and you're wearing bell bottoms and doing a cute little pose and Sean has his little hat on and also bell bottoms. Can you tell me a little bit more about this picture and what it means to you?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Okay, so. So that picture there says a lot and I really want to put context into a lot of the things that are being said now. You know, you got to kind of get to know a person's beginnings. You kind of got to get to know their, their, their firsts before you can really put a guilty sign on. You have to kind of know where they came from. And that's, that's, that's what I really want to specify and go into detail about, you know, and at the same time, I do not want to condone, and I don't condone any of the things that he's been accused of. But Sean is, he's special to me. You know, we were big brother, little brother type of moves. And there's no way I can sit back and allow this to happen without giving context to his life and to his story. Sean was born a really good kid, really good kid, gifted kid. When you talk about having everything he needed, you know, he was just ahead of his time from every, from, from day one. Going back to your question, that picture, that picture was random picture, random day. My dad was really into taking pictures. So he would catch us at any time of the day and say, hey, pose like this, pose like that. That's my dad posing us. And we stand there, he took the picture. And if you notice in the picture there's a big difference in our clothing. It's a big difference in, you know, I'll get up. Sean's wearing jewelry, he's got on White shoes. What is he like? Could be 5, 6 years old in that picture, if that. He's got on dark socks, he's got on bucket hat already.

[Tim Patterson]

Very stylish for a three, four year old.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Very stylish. The type of clothes you'd see a grownup wearing, you know, he was wearing. Then on the other hand, you see my clothes, it was just nervous.

[Tim Patterson]

So, Tim, you mentioned your father was an important part and very present in your life. Contrast that with Diddy's dad, Melvin, who actually died when Diddy was around, I think three years old. Diddy has spoken about Melvin before and said that he was actually a hustler, that he was part of or was associated with the New York drug dealer Frank Lucas. And we all know that Frank Lucas was portrayed by Denzel Washington, an American gangster. But stepping back to your own dad and his presence, can you talk a little bit about how Sean also became really a part of your family with your dad there and close to you as well?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Yeah, so when we moved into the house, it was a win win for everyone. Sean gets another boy in the house now in similar age, my mom and Sean's moms who were friends. And then on top of it all, you had a man of the house in the home. It was my dad. So he was able to do the things with me and Sean that dads do while he could. So, yeah, he was really instrumental in our lives, as was Sean's mom instrumental in my life.

[Tim Patterson]

And so he also became close to your dad. Is it because he didn't have his own dad around?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Like you said, Sean never had a chance to experience a dad in the household. And at that time in his life, besides his grandfather, my dad was probably in proximity to closest man in his life.

[Tim Patterson]

So growing up in Mount Vernon, what was that like coming up with Sean and eventually you're in both interests in music?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Our experiences were different growing up in Mount Vernon. I was born in Mount Vernon, so I'm kind of part of the fabric there, the family fabric, the friend fabric. My parents know different parents in the town, grew up with different people in the town. I was a lot more associated with Mount Vernon and Sean was. Shawn was a transplant from Harlem to Mount Vernon, basically because his mom and dad had bigger plans for him than just Harlem. You know, they wanted him to grow up in the suburbs. They wanted him to have a better shot at life. So naturally, the house was built in Mount Vernon and that's where he grew up. So Sean never really had the friends or the people or the camaraderie that I had in Mount Vernon, because he didn't grow there. So he was kind of looked at, it looked at as an outcast. You know, he was different. You know, he drove around in a Cadillac. He wore all these beautiful clothes. It was just a different kid. And kids from Mount Vernon didn't understand that in the beginning. You know, the jealousy, why does he have what I don't have? Type of thing. And Sean dealt with a lot of that as a child. A lot of that adversity, a lot of that bullying, and a lot of that just being better than people, having more than people. He had no say in the matter. It's just how he was brought into the world.

[Tim Patterson]

You know, he mentioned something interesting. He was bullied around that time when he was younger. Is that right?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Yeah. You know, he. He had it rough, man. He had it rough around the block. Mind you, we're in the suburbs, so this isn't like we're in the ghetto or in the hood, but we're in the suburbs. It's me and him on a block of all white kids, basically Italian kids, Jewish kids. And during that time in America, that was the early 70s, so us being on a street with all suburban kids or white kids, it was not easy for him. Number one, Sean's from Harlem. The white man doesn't treat the black man really good in Harlem. So you come to the suburbs. How do I interact with the white man? You're my oppressor. And that was his teachings. So his association with that side was minimal. The black kids that were spread out in the neighborhood tended to pick on him because he just wasn't tough enough at the time. So this is how we became pretty tight. He would start to go wherever I go. You know, I'm coming from the other side of town, so I got a little more grit on me. I'm coming over here to this suburbs where these kids don't really know it yet. So I was kind of like the guy on the block, and Sean was my little bro. Everywhere I went, he was the. He was there. You know, the kids wouldn't pick on him as much, but he still had to go through it. And it was messed up because me and a few other people had to fight for him a lot, had to defend him until he was able to defend himself. Why am I able to say, okay, I defended him? Well, I had a dad in the house. My dad instilled some things in me that let me know there's only. But so far, people can Go with you, win, lose or draw. And these might have been some of the things Sean could have gotten as a child had he had a father.

[Tim Patterson]

There's so much more coming up, but for now, let's pause for a break. Welcome back to the Trial of Diddy. We're still here with Tim Patterson. Now, when were you and Sean both introduced to hip hop, and how did that connect you together?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

So we were introduced to hip hop back in the. Back in the early 80s. I had a cousin, an older cousin who was an emcee back in there. Back in those days, rappers were called MCs. And I would shadow him to the parties he went to in the block parties and stuff. And I would bring the tapes home that he would make, my cousin would make, and then I would bring them over to the house that Sean and I lived in. And I had some other cousins that would come by. So we just started listening to these tapes that were real valuable. The thing about Sean's place, at a young kid, it was like Disneyland. You go to Sean's house and he's got everything. So he had a stage in his living room, a literal, actual stage. It had two steps. You go up, and that's where we used to. To dance because his mom was really into music, and you couldn't help but be infected by the music. Now I remember dancing to Donna Summer, Sugar Hill Gang, you know, all the stuff, all the things. And Sean knew how to do it well. He was a hell of a dancer, Hell of a dancer. That was our germ of hip hop right there. And then as he got older and as I got older, you couldn't help but not be around hip hop because it was a culture. It was. It was a lifestyle. It was a. It was a certain type of sneaker, it was a certain type of pants, it was a certain type of hat. It was a certain way of talk, it was a certain way to walk, you know. And Sean, being from Harlem, he had all of this in him. He had all this flavor in him, all of this, all the ingredients to be a fly cat. It was all in him from a very early age.

[Tim Patterson]

So then how did you guys end up going into the industry itself and landing on Uptown Records?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

When we were in our teen years, we would play sports. We taught Sean how to play baseball. So he went and played baseball for a couple of teams and stuff. And then he went to high school and played football. So he was becoming athletic. He was coming out of his shell. He was becoming a lot more out of that introverted shy shell into that. I think I'm getting to know who I am, Shell. I think I'm starting to feel myself because I could dance, I could do all of this stuff and people are watching me different. We got introduced to hip hop in a different way. Sean left high school and went to college. I left high school and I went to the army and we did our time and came back together. So this is post college for him, this is post military for me. And he's already in the industry. He's 17 years old. He's 17 years old and he's got a job down at Uptown Records. I come back from the military and naturally I'm different. I'm a lot more mature, you know, I'm a lot more grown and stuff and, you know, I seek them out. And he says, hey, welcome back, Come down to the office, come check me out.

[Tim Patterson]

What was that like walking into the Uptown Records office with Sean?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

It was amazing. It was amazing. It was, it was, it was unbelievable. Because you got to realize this is Sean, this is not Puffy, this is my Shawn, you know, three year old, four year old, five year old, and now he's 17 years old, he's in corporate America. I walk in the building, they say, hello, Mr. Mr. Cone. This is his life at 17. Goes up the elevator, opens the elevator says MCA records and real big letters. And he comes out like it's no, like it's just another day. I'm following him and we go to his office. That was my first experience with the music industry that day.

[Tim Patterson]

But seeing your childhood friend who used to, as you mentioned, get beat up as a kid to now where he was at 6, 17, being at the helm of a major company, that must have been just a shock to you.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

It was naturally a shock for me. It was a shock for everyone. You know, Sean was at the door, he was standing at the door of rarefied air. He's making six figures at 17 years old. And Sean, he wasn't coordinated. He was just a little goofy. He's a kid still and his actions were childish. He's 17, but he's got carte blanche access to the music industry. He's got Russell Simmons here, he's got Andre Harrell here. He's got everybody else in the industry saying, who's this little young gunner? He's the youngest executive in the music business as a black man. That's the position he was in at 17.

[Tim Patterson]

I have to say I did speak to some folks who worked at Uptown in those early years and you know, they allege that, you know, he was sometimes a terror to work with, allegedly, and that he had this temper. And I was just wondering if you ever saw any of that in your dealings with him during those early years at Uptown.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Every day, John was a mess. He was a mess. You think he had decorum. You think he had it together? You know what I mean? Sean was just like he told you. He was the little bad boy. He was the industry's little brother. That was the pest. You know, Sean told me one time before he was 20 years old, he was like, yo, I need to speak to Michael Jackson. Now, mind you, I'm Sean's intern at this time. I'm working for him. And I don't know the first thing about finding Michael Jackson. But if you know anything about Sean or Uptown Records or Andrew, you. You have to figure it out on your own. You just have to figure it out. Come to me with the results. Don't come to me with the complaints. You know, so, yeah, he was a mess in the office. He didn't come to an off. He didn't come to the meetings on time. He'd come late. He'd come with his pants hanging off his butt, his shoes untied. He have a turkey sandwich in his hand, an orange and cranberry juice. Come in the office, make noise, disrupt everything in the meeting. But he was the little pest. He was the little brother, and people just tolerated him. That's just Sean. That's just Puff. Even Andre tolerated it to an extent.

[Tim Patterson]

Famously, Andre Harrell ended up firing him from Uptown. Can you talk a little bit about that and how that went down?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

Andre got to a point at the company where we had a genre called hip hop and R and B that was kind of a genre Andrew and Puff sliced out. And it was our own for a minute. And it was unknown to other executives what hip hop, R and B was. We were bringing something new into the game, into the business. So Uptown was a subsidiary of MCA Records at the time. MCA Records wasn't putting out sounds like Uptown artists like Uptown. So they didn't understand when Andre would say, hey, I need a million dollars for a Mary J. Blige video. They would say, are you kidding me? They wouldn't understand. When they said, I need to get a half a million dollars for Devontae swings court case because he crashed a car. They didn't understand these issues and problems that came with these young black artists. So Andre was protecting a brand. He was protecting Uptown Records from the executives, from the Suits. He had a deal he had to live up to. So in order to keep his deal intact, in order to keep his money coming, he had to please the mother company. And the mother company suggested to him that this kid, Sean Combs is expensive. He's costing us a lot of money. He's shooting videos for this amount of money. He's producing records for this amount of money. And this is all new to the MCA people. Andre understood what it was, but he has to explain that to corporate, and corporate doesn't want to hear that.

[Tim Patterson]

Yeah.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

So to the point where corporate told Andre, they said, listen, man, you got to get rid of him. And we also suggest that you put kind of a comptroller, a money person in the company. Sean was like, yo, the white man's trying to take your shit. It's a black company. They trying to put another white man in here to oversee you. And they did. They put another white guy in there. And then it was a general manager of Uptown. And Sean and him never really got along. They always bumped heads. And Andre's stuck in the middle of all of that. So he's got corporate now telling him to bring the money down. I know you guys are making tons of money, but we're spending tons of money. And on the other hand, he got Sean in his ear, like, yo, why you letting the white man take your shit? So it got to a point where there was two kings in the castle, and one had to go, and it had to be Sean. Andre had to let Sean go. Sean took it very hard because Sean didn't look at it as if corporate told him to do it. Sean looked at it as you abandoning me. You're my pops. That was the way Sean looked at Andre, like, you're my dad. What are you talking about? So it really didn't stick. It didn't. It didn't kick in with Sean for a while. You know, I mean, he would do some things to try to get his job back, but Andre had to keep a brand going. Andre also looked at Sean as his son, but he also looked at his brand as his baby. So he had to make the decision. That's where Sean had to be let go from Uptown.

[Tim Patterson]

Uptown during your time there, and also, obviously, Diddy's time there. You guys brought out the biggest artists. You mentioned some of the members of Jodeci. There was Father mc, Mary J. Blige, of course, Heavy Dean Du Bois, Christopher Williams. I mean, what was that like at the height of Uptown under Diddy?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

I can't even put it into words because it was just like euphoric. It was almost like you pinch yourself. Am I really here? He was introducing this real loose fitted, this real avant garde, this real different type of hip hop to corporate America, to the world. He's 17, 18 years old and all these artists you just mentioned are basically shadows of him. If you really look at all the artists on uptown back in the day, they were basically shadows of Sean. From the way they dress to the way they act to the way they talk. You know, he was that infective on you. He just had that much flavor. He became uptown. Andre would just sit there. This is Andre's thing. He just sit there and let Sean go crazy. You know, he allowed it. The staff had to listen, they had to do it. You know, it was a big amount of cursing and mother effort. That was what, that's what it was. But the end result was always platinum. The end result was always millions of sales. The end result was always radio, radio, radio. You know, the end result was never second, it was always first and then some.

[Tim Patterson]

Do you think because of all the success, he was able to be the exception to the rule that some of the maybe alleged questionable behavior back then, looking at it now from you know, 2025 lenses, that stuff might not happen now.

[Marjorie Hernandez]

That type of behavior doesn't stick today. Back then there were no examples, no blueprints, no references of Puffy's. He was the first 17, 18, 19 year old kid hanging with Russell Simmons, Andre Harrell, Brett Ratner, Clive Davis. He was the exception because no one, there was no reference to him. So he was so interesting to people, he was so interesting to the Hill figures. He was so interesting to the Trumps, he was so interesting to the Winfrey's, that this kid's got a magnetism about him and he's, he's the one behind these people. There was no other people like Puffy, like Michael Jackson. There was no. He's a one of one. Prince, a one of one, Rembrandt, a one of one. We're really watching some biblical shit go on here. It's way bigger than just man. Sean's story is way more biblical than anything.

[Tim Patterson]

Undeniably his influence on hip hop and just the culture in general is huge. But the fact that where he is now, his fall from that, you as his personal friend, that must be really difficult. I mean, what's it been like for you seeing that?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

I'm going to tell you, it's bittersweet. And what I mean by that is for years like you said, since I've been his friend forever, there are certain people that know that, and there's certain people that tell you things over the years and you try to defend because this isn't the person, you know. And for years, people were bringing me information and bringing me news, and, you know, you can't never say never. But this isn't the Sean I knew that they were explaining to me. So when I say it's bittersweet seeing the position he's in right now. Sean saved me from whatever is going on in the industry. I don't know Diddy, and I believe in my heart he made sure of that because he didn't want me to be around whatever behavior he was displaying. That wasn't the way we rocked. You know, he knew there was limits for me and that you don't do this, you know, that's the sweet part, that I wasn't taking down these rabbit holes that he's being accused of be taken down. That's the sweet part, and I love him for that. He knew it wasn't meant for me. Whatever it is he's being accused of, the bitter part is you're watching this kid that you grew up with you damn near raised for a portion of his life. You experienced all these firsts. You know, I'm really picturing Sean at the circus now. We eat popcorn. I'm picturing at the Wiz, the opening of the Wiz, 1975 Broadway. We're there. You know what I mean? I'm picturing him on the ice skates at Rockefeller Center. We're there. Ain't no black kids doing this stuff. And he's there in London Fog. He's there in fashion. For real. For real. And now I'm seeing where he's at. This is such a learning moment and a teaching moment for the world, if you really ask me. But more in particular, children that don't have the patriarch in their world. Children who are born fatherless, children who were born without the chance that I might have had. Okay, money can't be your God. And when you see this happening, you know, it comes from a place of hurt with me. Like, God damn, I understand he's being accused of the worst of the worst. Worst. But let this be known. He's not the first, won't be the last. But because we're in 2025 and because there may be some type of agenda, who knows? Let's say there isn't. Let's just say the law is starting to crack down on all the okay, he is definitely in the thick of it and he's doing anything to get his freedom back. There's something wrong with Sean, according to everyone. But does that make us any better? If you gave myself, yourself, any average person, seven figures to be reckless with before 20 years old, do you really think you would have stayed in the lines? Do you really think you would have played by all the rules? Would you have not once had that party in Hollywood where everybody got shit faced? Or would you have went to bed at 8:00 that night? Really, we have to ask ourselves those questions in order to put context to this person we call a monster.

[Tim Patterson]

And again, it's important to say that these are just allegations against him. He's facing his trial in a week, actually. But what was your reaction when you actually saw that video of Cassie getting attacked by, by your friend?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

The world stopped. You know, everything stopped. Seeing John at the elevator, the world stopped completely.

[Tim Patterson]

Like I mentioned before, he's facing very serious allegations. And, you know, he could be gone for life. If he is convicted, he could be in prison for life. And I was just wondering, as, as somebody who's grown up with him, how, how do you even encapsulate that in your head that this could be something that could happen to your longtime friend?

[Marjorie Hernandez]

I've really given this a lot of thought over this time of, you know, what's going on with him. You know, just trying to really come up with a solution I can live with. And the solution that I can live with that I think is most reasonable and rational for me anyway, and I hope for the public, is Sean wasn't proud of Sean Combs at a certain point of his life. Sean Combs brought back memories that maybe he didn't want to have or maybe he were very uncomfortable for him to have and him being in the position he's in, he was in, he recreated himself time after time. You know, he went to Puffy, Puff Daddy, Sean, John Diddy, Daddy Love, right? So he's continually reinventing himself for whatever reasons, but never really went back to Sean Combs. You know, Sean John could have been Sean Combs, but there was a reason it wasn't. And I believe he wanted to really put that piece of life away, bury it somewhere. Now, the only way out of this is to kill all the other Sean's, the P. Diddy's, the Daddy loves, the Sean Johns. You gotta really kill them and come back to Sean Combs. And once you come back to Sean Combs and you make it right with the most high. That's when you can deal with your situation. Now, you just mentioned he may spend the rest of his life in jail. Right now, it seems like it's gonna be a court of public opinion more than it's gonna be the law. So I'm sure he's thinking it could be life. I'm sure he's given every thought to everything. But Sean is the type that really, really believes he's innocent. I'm telling you, he really believes he's innocent. He doesn't feel the things that he's accused of is what he's done. He doesn't feel that I know him. He doesn't feel that in his journey, wherever it may take him, if it may bring him home, if it may keep him there, he has to go back to Sean Combs. He has to release that spirit and get to know who that person is. Because he's the person I fell in love with. And I'm pause. You know, that was my little bro. That's the person people loved. Sean. These other people, people feared. They fear Diddy, they fear Sean John. They fear. These are manufactured characters driven by evil, if you ask me. For the sake of money, for the sake of being the best. Shawn will be okay. If Sean gets back to Sean, whether he's in prison or whether he's home, if he still lives under a moniker, if he still lives under a false name, he's never gonna have peace. Just what I believe.

[Tim Patterson]

So for now, that's it. Thanks again to our guest, Tim Patterson, and as we make final preparations for Diddy's trial in just a few days time, what other trials would you like for us to cover? Let us know by email thetrialailymail.com or you can WhatsApp us on 4477-966-57512 and start your message with Trial. As ever, thank you for listening. Please share all your comments, suggestions and thoughts on the trial of Diddy on Apple or Spotify and follow us on TikTok@DailyMailCrime. Do follow the trial Trial of Diddy as we will be here each week with fresh information, new insights and some expert guests. Goodbye.