Can You Watch Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial? What To Know About Live Stream
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Despite the public interest, no live stream will be available when jury selection begins Monday in the high-profile federal criminal case against Sean "Diddy" Combs in the Southern District of New York.
The music mogul, known for decades under various aliases including Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Love, faces federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Federal court rules prohibit video recording and broadcasting of proceedings, and this trial is no exception. Those interested in real-time updates will have to rely on journalists attending in person. Reporters may be present in the gallery, but no cameras are allowed inside the courtroom.
Why It Matters
The courtroom proceedings are drawing national attention, not just because of Combs' celebrity but also due to the gravity of the alleged crimes, which span two decades and involve multiple alleged victims and co-conspirators.
Sean "Diddy" Combs at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held on March 7, 2010 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
Sean "Diddy" Combs at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held on March 7, 2010 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
zz/Doug Peters/STAR MAX/IPx
What To Know
Combs has been charged with five federal counts. According to the U.S. government's filing, Count One alleges that from 2004 to 2024, Combs participated in a racketeering conspiracy involving kidnapping, arson, bribery, obstruction of justice, forced labor, sex trafficking, drug distribution and transportation for prostitution. Counts Two and Four accuse him of sex trafficking two adult women through "force, fraud, and coercion." The first is alleged to have occurred around 2009 and 2018, and the second around 2021 and 2024. Counts Three and Five involve allegations of transporting these women and male sex workers to engage in prostitution.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies any wrongdoing. Newsweek reached out to Combs' representatives for comment.
While the charges were outlined by federal prosecutors in the government's proposed questions for jurors filed on April 25, the defense also submitted a joint filing on April 30 detailing objections to how those charges are characterized in court. The defense requested that terms such as "acts of violence" and "sexual assault" be rephrased to "allegations of" those acts, to avoid prejudicing prospective jurors.
Jury selection began Monday under the supervision of U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. Jurors are being screened through a detailed series of questions covering everything from their views on law enforcement and sex crimes to their experiences with guns and illegal drugs. The prosecution and defense have agreed on large portions of the voir dire process, with disputes over wording mostly resolved and consented to on both sides.
What People Are Saying
Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers, in a motion filed last month: "The government should not be permitted to pollute the trial with decades of dirt and invite a conviction based on propensity evidence with no proper purpose by painting Mr. Combs as a bad guy who must have committed the charged crimes."
Prosecutors, in a memorandum filed last month: "That testimony powerfully establishes that the defendant made no mistake when he coerced other victims into unwanted sex. It proves that the defendant intended to take the sexual gratification he wanted, regardless of consent."
What Happens Next
Once a jury is selected, the trial will proceed with opening statements expected within days. Prosecutors plan to introduce evidence, including testimony from alleged victims, with some under pseudonyms, as well as digital records retrieved from phones and iCloud accounts.
As the trial unfolds, Combs' legal team will seek to dismantle the prosecution's narrative of coercion and criminal enterprise. At the same time, federal attorneys attempt to prove an extended pattern of abuse and trafficking enabled by Combs' position of power.
Proceedings are expected to span several weeks.
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