Kid Cudi took the stand on Thursday, blaming Sean “Diddy” Combs for lighting his Porsche on fire because the music mogul was angry his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura was dating the rapper. And that’s not all Kid Cudi had to say during his testimony. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.
There was explosive testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial on Thursday, as rapper Kid Cudi took the stand.
While spending several hours on the witness stand, Cudi told the jury about two key experiences he thinks are tied to Combs.
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That came after Combs' former assistant finished his testimony that he started on Wednesday, for which he had been granted immunity. Three others also testified, including a makeup artist, a hotel manager and a federal agent.
Here's a recap of the testimony shared Thursday, and what to expect when the trial continues.
Who testified Thursday?
Former personal assistant
The first person on the witness stand Thursday was George Kaplan, the former assistant to Combs, who was continuing his testimony that began Wednesday. He had previously been given immunity, after telling the Manhattan court on Wednesday that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Kaplan discussed looking the other way after seeing Combs' then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, beaten and bruised. He said he did the same thing when he saw Combs angrily throw apples at his other girlfriend, Gina.
Kaplan testified that he witnessed Combs be violent with Cassie only once, on a trip to Las Vegas aboard the rap promoter’s private jet in the second half of 2015 when he heard glass breaking behind him. He said he looked over his shoulder and saw Combs standing with a whiskey glass in his hand.
“There was tremendous commotion and a scuffle and then after the glass crashed, Cassie screamed: 'Isn’t anybody seeing this?” he said on the stand.
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Kaplan testified that neither he nor any of the security workers or Bad Boy management staff on the plane did anything to respond to Cassie’s call for help. A prosecutor asked why he didn't step in to help the women.
"I wished it wasn't happening, and standing in the way of that, was not my way to succeed," Kaplan said, adding that he didn’t respond to Cassie’s call for help because he was in his dream job and didn’t want to wreck it and “couldn’t believe my good fortune to be working for such an icon.”
Asked if anyone on the plane went to check on Cassie, he said no.
Kaplan testified that he eventually grew fed up with the violence, and quit.
"I was unwilling to stand by the behavior," said Kaplan.
He said he told Combs that he wanted to quit because his father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Even so, he said he still credits Combs for teaching him a work ethic that has helped him be successful in jobs since then. To some extent, the feeling might be mutual: When Kaplan first entered the courtroom on Wednesday, Combs smiled.
Kaplan told jurors that his tenure with Combs has “proven to be one of the most complicated pieces of my life.”
“I’m a young man and this is a God among men talking to me,” said Kaplan, who served as an assistant for Combs and his Combs Enterprises company from 2013 to 2015.
“He not only pushed me to my depth he pushed me to depths I didn’t even know I had,” Kaplan said, explaining he “never worked harder in my life.”
Kaplan told jurors that he “desperately did not want to come here today” but that he was forced to testify because federal prosecutors had subpoenaed him. He said he didn't have anything against Combs.
Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, took the witness stand around 10:45 a.m. He took his opportunity to level some serious accusations against Combs, pinning a home break-in and a car fire-bombing on the entertainment icon.
Cudi suggested that Combs came after him after learning he had started seeing Cassie. The two first met in 2008, recorded some music together and dated in 2011. Cudi said he was aware Cassie had been involved with Combs around the time they dated.
He testified that Combs entered his home without permission in Dec. 2011. Cudi was not home at the time, but said that as soon as he heard about, he immediately called Combs.
Cudi said he had gone to a West Hollywood hotel with Cassie to get her away from the seething Combs when he got a call from Combs’ assistant, Capricorn Clark. He said she told him “Sean Combs and an affiliate were in my house and she was in a car and she was forced to go with them over there.”
So Cudi said he got into Porsche 911 convertible and drove there, calling Combs along the way. Using an expletive, he asked Combs why he was in the house. He said Combs calmly replied, “I want to talk to you.”
Cudi said he told Combs he was on his way to the house, to which Combs said: “I’m over here waiting for you.”
But, Cudi said, Combs wasn’t there when he arrived. Instead, he said, he found Christmas presents he’d purchased for his family had been opened and his dog was locked up in a bathroom.
Cudi said he got back into his car and called Combs again, asking him where he was.
He said, “I’m on my way, I’m on my way,” Cudi testified.
Cudi said he wasn’t sure what was going on, so he decided to call the police.
About a month later, Cudi said someone torched his Porsche that was sitting in his driveway, with a Molotov cocktail tossed inside. The jury saw photos of the slashed fabric roof, burnt up driver's side, and damage caused by the fire and smoke.
When asked by a prosecutor what his reaction was to his car getting torched, Cudi said "What the [expletive]?" He then testified that "after the fire, I was like, this is getting out of hand, I need to talk to him." Cudi said he didn’t have conflicts at the time with anyone other than Combs.
Eventually agreeing to a face-to-face meeting with Combs and Cassie in Los Angeles, Cudi said that when he walked in, "Combs was looking out the window with his hands behind his back looking like a Marvel super villain."
Despite the action movie posture, Combs remained oddly calm throughout the one-on-one meeting, Cudi said, and even offered him water on a couple of occasions. They eventually stood and shook hands, before Cudi said he asked Combs: “What are we going to do about my car?”
Cudi said Combs gave him a “very cold stare” and responded: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Cudi was miffed. He decided to let it go, but recalled Combs noticing his hesitation. “I thought we were cool, is there a problem?” Combs asked.
Cudi said he told Combs he would take him at his word, and he eventually made peace with the situation. After that, there were no more break-ins at his house and no more trouble with his car.
Combs ended up apologizing a few years later, when they ran into each other again at the SoHo House hotel, Cudi testified.
Cudi said Combs, there with his daughter, pulled him aside and said: “Man, I just was to apologize for everything and all that (expletive).”
“After the apology, I found peace with it,” Cudi testified.
Questioned about the break-in by defense lawyer Brian Steel, Cudi acknowledged that he had left the door to his home unlocked and that there was no damage to the structure.
Cudi left the courtroom without looking in the direction of Combs.
Makeup artist
A makeup artist who helped covered Cassie's injuries after alleged beating by combs also testified on Thursday. Mylah Morales testified that she saw injuries on Cassie’s face only once while doing makeup for her between 2007 and 2021.
She said it happened in 2010 during Grammys weekend after Combs stormed into Cassie’s bedroom at a hotel and she heard “yelling and screaming.” After an angry Combs left the room, Morales said, she went in and saw Cassie.
“She had a swollen eye and a busted lip and knots on her head,” she said.
When Morales saw that, she immediately packed up her things and got her out of the hotel, she said. Morales said her doctor friend checked Cassie out the next day and recommended she go to the emergency room, but Cassie didn’t go.
Hotel manager
Frédéric Zemmour testified that Combs frequently stayed at the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills using aliases such as Frank White and Frank Black — names Cassie said he used when checking in for “freak-off” sexual encounters.
Zemmour said Combs’ guest profile noted that he “ALWAYS spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil.” The profile instructed staff to “place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning.”
“Please authorize an extra $1000 when guest stays with us to cover any room damages,” Combs’ guest profile said.
Prosecutors highlighted several complaints about Combs’ stays in the hotel’s internal files, including one from January 2010 in which the housekeeping staff said it observed “large deposits of candle wax on carpets in living room area, and on the night stands in bedroom area.” Combs was charged $500 for the damage.
Laptop expert
A federal agent also testified about extracting data from Cassie’s laptop computers.
Who is testifying next?
The trial won’t resume until Tuesday because of the Memorial Day holiday. On Tuesday, prosecutors say they’ll call Capricorn Clark, who was an assistant to Combs and a member of his marketing team. They said they also expect to call witnesses from the Los Angeles police and fire departments.
