The impact of Diddy's trial

The jury tasked with deciding the fate of Diddy, the disgraced media mogul, found him guilty yesterday of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but he was acquitted in the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.  

Despite initially being denied bail, he is still looking at jail time. But due to the split verdict, what was once the possibility of a lifetime behind bars has now been watered down to what will likely only be a few years. 

As for the reactions, they were swift, and many of them outrageous, including media reports that some of his supporters were lathering themselves in baby oil, while his son Christian Combs danced and did a series of push-ups outside the courthouse. And with the verdict officially being in, many celebrities are now feeling emboldened to either double down on their support for Diddy, utter it out loud for the first time, or continue to speak out against some of what came to light during the trial – and what came to light long before he ever stepped foot into the courthouse. 

Celebrities like Ray J, who has defended Diddy throughout his trial, said he was hoping for Diddy to be found not guilty on all counts. Former Xscape member and wife of rapper T.I. Tiny Harris is facing backlash for her reaction to the verdict due to her friendship with the late Kim Porter. And DJ Funkmaster Flex ripped into Cassie after the verdict. Rapper Boosie posted a video captioned “GREAT DAY IN HIP HOP” and even 50 Cent, who trolled Diddy throughout the court proceedings lauded his ability to escape the RICO charges. 

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say we weren’t expecting anything different from these particular individuals I’ve mentioned, but it’s still wildly disappointing. Particularly Tiny’s support of her late friend’s alleged abuser, and Boosie’s choice for a caption, which drags an entire genre of music and culture, already so stigmatized, into his problematic take on the outcome of this trial. There are several celebrities people are curious to hear from, like Charlemagne, who hasn’t made an official statement, but did post this cryptic post on Instagram this morning. It’s my hope that he’d have a more thoughtful reaction than rappers like Boosie and 50 Cent, despite it taking an extended period of time for him to finally come out and condemn Diddy’s actions after defending his legacy.

Conversely, a swath of women celebrities have spoken up on social media in support of Cassie, arguably the most high-profile figure in the case against Diddy, who bravely took the stand and relived nearly a decade’s worth of trauma despite nearing the end of her pregnancy. This list includes the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, who shared this tweet about domestic violence after the reading of the verdict; Kesha, who offered love and support to Cassie in this tweet; comedian Luenell who shared this post on Instagram; Dawn Richard, who has a pending civil case against Diddy; and of course, Aubrey O’Day, who has long spoken out against Diddy. In an Instagram story, Aubrey wrote: 

"I'm still unpacking the magnitude of it all. The cultural weight of this decision is immeasurable. It is heartbreaking to witness how many lives have been impacted by their experiences with Sean Combs -- only for those stories to fall short in the eyes of a jury.”

She went on to add:

"Let's be clear: the courtroom operates by the law, but that DOES NOT mean it delivers justice. Nor is it the best place to develop the moral compass this world so urgently needs. The pattern of behavior Sean Combs has shown us over the decades is not a mystery. It's a warning. And now, that pattern risks being reframed—and has now been legitimized by the system."

It’s clear Aubrey’s not alone in her thoughts about the disappointment in the judicial process. Rosie O’Donnell, who shared her thoughts in this Instagram post, wrote that ‘a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion’, saying the decision made her ‘angry’. 

Judge Mathis, who has been covering the trial on The Mathis Verdict spoke out on the role of the jury, saying:

“Although I really am concerned about the assaults against the women, we must go with what he’s been convicted of and respect the jury.”

The nuance that Aubrey is adding to the conversation about how law doesn’t always equate to justice is not only refreshing, but necessary, particularly because of the ways that race, power and gender can impact how a case unfolds. 

There’s a disturbing trend I notice in cases where the person on trial is a Black man. And it’s that there is a huge cohort of community members around them that willfully ignore how poorly marginalized people have fared in the justice system throughout history. There is often an automatic assumption that if the outcome is what they want it to be, it’s because of fairness. There is a willful ignorance displayed by so many to the implicit bias in the judicial system, unless, of course, we get the verdict we were hoping for.

I can’t begin to describe the amount of times over the last several weeks that I’ve seen comments that allude to this all being an attempt to ‘tear a Black man down’. In fact, in his video, Boosie became emotional reflecting on the fatigue he faces when ‘Black moguls’ face legal trouble – particularly when the accusers are women. The misogynistic assumptions, like the idea that Cassie was a willing participant only after Diddy’s money, were remarkable. 

“I'm tired of seeing us Black moguls get took down like that bro,” he said.

We’ve also seen it recently with the case against OJ Simpson, the allegations made against Shannon Sharpe, which I wrote about here. We saw it with R. Kelly, we saw it with the claims against Bill Cosby, and in countless other cases. Not only can we not ignore the fact that throughout history, we have seen, plain as day, the legal system fail victims, but we cannot celebrate people not having to face consequences for their actions just because they look like us. 

“One thing stands between all of us and a prison and that is a jury of 12 citizens, and we had a wonderful jury. They listened to every word. And they got the situation right. Or right enough,” Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said. 

‘Right enough’ is an interesting choice of words. But this entire paragraph that he spoke in front of cameras is a terrifying truth. Because in cases where the jury gets it wrong, what then? There was so much about this case, particularly as it pertains to the charges Diddy was facing, but moreover, the abuse that his victims faced, that can not be measured in the way so many other crimes can. In a murder case, there’s a life lost. In a theft case, you have stolen goods. But in a case like this, how do we measure the damage?

The outcome of this trial is a huge blow for victims and survivors of domestic violence and trafficking and in its own way, it has legitimized the abuse Cassie and so many others faced. Perhaps, to Aubrey’s point, and the one Marc made unintentionally, it’s time we question the efficacy and fairness of leaving cases like these in the hands of just 12 citizens. Because so often, the jury is thought of as only being responsible for the fate of the defendant. But the impact of this goes way beyond Diddy, and way beyond the victims.