Kid Cudi To Testify Thursday In Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Sex-Trafficking Trial About Threats Against Him & Cassie Ventura
Kid Cudi (a.k.a. Scott Mescudi) will take the stand in Judge Arun Subramanian's lower Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, prosecutors confirmed today.
More from Deadline
Violent & Jealous Sean 'Diddy' Combs Demanded $20K 'Recoup', Cassie Ventura's Mother Testifies In Sex-Trafficking Trial; Family Had To Take Out Home Loan To Pay Multi-Millionaire
Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds
"Disingenuous Charade": Blake Lively Mocks Justin Baldoni's Long Delayed HR Probe Of Her Sexual Harassment Claims
Starting off Wednesday's hearing before the jury was in the room by informing the judge and defense team that the 'Man on the Moon' rap star would not be testifying today, the feds unveiled at the end of the day, after the jurors had exited, that Kid Cudi would now be in the witness box on Thursday. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey (Yes, as we've noted before, daughter of former FBI Director, U.S. Attorney and Trump foe James Comey), the feds expect Kid Cudi to be a brief witness. Along with the Grammy winner, the prosecution intends to call a total of five witnesses on Thursday – all to be dealt with quite quickly, they insist.
RELATED:
Joining the likes of Cassie Ventura, a couple of male escorts who were paid to have filmed sex with Ventura in the much-discussed 'freak-offs,' Ventura's mother and some law enforcement officials, Mescudi will be the 13th witness for the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York in Combs' criminal case. Like every day of the trial, jury selection and pre-trial hearings, Combs was in court today, and will be tomorrow.
Predicted to last eight weeks, the criminal trial of the much-accused Diddy follows his arrest last September on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and more. Incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest, after a trio of failed $50 million bail attempts, Diddy has always insisted he is innocent. He has taken the same position in the dozens of civil suits of abuse and assault that have been filed in the court dockets over the past several months. Rejecting a plea deal from the government, Combs could face life behind bars if found guilty in this criminal trial.
RELATED:
From the moment Cassie Ventura filed her very quickly settled ($20 million) abuse and assault suit against ex-boyfriend Combs in late 2023, the name of Kid Cudi has been connected to the self-described 'toxic relationship' between the 'Me & U' singer and the 'All About the Benjamins' performer.
As various filings, plus testimony from Ventura and her mother have stated, the singer and Mescudi had a short romantic relationship in 2012. Along with various threats against the duo, a jealous Combs promised to blow up Kid Cudi's car in his own driveway to keep him away from Ventura. As Ventura's 2023 filing bluntly said: 'Around that time, Kid Cudi's car exploded in his driveway.'
At the time, reps for Kid Cudi confirmed the car destruction from a decade before.
Cudi will testify right after the jury has heard more from former Diddy executive assistant George Kaplan. In court Wednesday under the duress of a subpoena, like fellow Combs ex-EA David James who testified earlier this week, Kaplan entered the witness box around 11:45 a.m. PT.
Detailing his gofer duties today to the court, Kaplan is known to have left Combs' employ after a year, in some part due to the violence he is said to have seen. Before Kaplan, this third day of the second week of Combs' May 12-starting trial heard testimony from psychologist Dawn Hughes and Homeland Security Investigations special agent Gerard Gannon. The latter was involved in the raid on Combs' Miami residence in the spring of 2024.
Along with the Combs' trial, Kid Cudi will be back in lower Manhattan next month in a completely unrelated manner. Co-starring Kiernan Shipka, Brittany Snow, Haley Joel Osment, Cary Elwes and Brandon Scott, the rapper's short vampire themed film Neverland is set to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 7. Directed by Ti West and produced by Jordan Peele, the short is connected to Kid Cudi's latest single of the same name.
Best of Deadline
Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far
'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
42 minutes ago
- New York Post
Cameron Boyce's mom reacts to Adam Sandler's 'Happy Gilmore 2' tribute
Cameron Boyce's mom has opened up about Adam Sandler's sweet tribute to her late son in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Taking to Instagram on Monday, Libby Boyce thanked Sandler for including Cameron in a short blink-and-you-miss-it scene toward the beginning of the new Netflix sequel. Cameron died in July 2019 after suffering an epileptic seizure in his sleep. He was 20. 9 Cameron Boyce with his mom, Libby Boyce. libboyce/Instagram 9 Cameron Boyce and Adam Sandler at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards in Los Angeles. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 'Thank you [Adam Sandler] for honoring Cam's legacy in Happy Gilmore 2,' she wrote alongside a golf emoji, an angel wing emoji and a purple heart emoji. She also included a screenshot of the scene in question, which comes when Sandler's titular character approaches a check-in booth before starting a round of golf. Eagle-eyed viewers can see that the clerk is watching the Disney Channel show 'Jessie' on a small TV on the desk. Cameron starred in 'Jessie' from 2011 to 2015 as the character Luke Ross. 9 Cameron Boyce can be seen on the TV in this blink-and-you-miss-it scene from 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Libby previously shared an article about the scene via Instagram on Sunday. 'Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,' Libby began. 'Cameron was supposed to be in Hubie Halloween and they were strategizing.' 'They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real,' she added. 'Adam always finds a way to keep Cams memory alive which warms our heart.' 9 Cameron Boyce with his mom, Libby Boyce, years before his devastating passing. libboyce/Instagram 9 Cameron Boyce posing for a funny photo with his mom, Libby Boyce. libboyce/Instagram Years before his death, Cameron and the 'Billy Madison' comedian first starred together as father-and-son duo Lenny and Keithie Feder in Sandler's 2010 comedy 'Grown Ups.' They later reunited for the movie's 2013 sequel. Sandler was one of the first to pay tribute to Cameron after his death. 'Too young. Too sweet. Too funny,' he wrote on social media at the time. 'Just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around. Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world.' 'Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken,' Sandler continued at the time. 'Thinking of your amazing family and sending our deepest condolences.' 9 Cameron Boyce and Adam Sandler as father-and-son duo Lenny and Keithie Feder in 2010's 'Grown Ups.' Happy Madison Productions 9 Adam Sandler talking about Cameron Boyce's sad passing during a short interview after the young actor's death. thecameronboycefoundation/Instagram The 'Big Daddy' star also paid tribute to Cameron during the credits of his 2020 Netflix movie, 'Hubie Halloween.' 'In loving memory of Cameron Boyce,' the screen reads. 'Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day.' Cameron made a name for himself in Disney's popular 'Descendants' franchise. 9 Cameron Boyce attends Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' premiere at El Capitan Theatre on March 2, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images 9 Cameron Boyce and his co-stars during a scene from Disney's 'Descendants 3' (2019). Disney Channel via Getty Images Playing Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil, Cameron appeared in 'Descendants' (2015), 'Descendants 2' (2017) and 'Descendants 3' (2019). The third film in the hit franchise was released less than one month after Cameron's death. It was dedicated to his memory. In May, many of Cameron's other former co-stars took to social media to remember the late actor on what would have been his 26th birthday. Earlier this month also marked the sixth anniversary of his death. 'I still feel you all the time. Catch you in the next life,' Dove Cameron, who starred in 'Descendants' with Cameron, wrote via Instagram on May 28. 'Happy birthday. I love you.' 'Our Angel,' actress Sofia Carson wrote on July 6. 'Forever.'
The Hill
42 minutes ago
- The Hill
Vance says Trump has been ‘incredibly transparent' on Epstein files: ‘We're not shielding anything'
Vice President Vance defended the Trump administration's handling of the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a press conference in Canton, Ohio, after an appearance to promote the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'The president has been very clear. We're not shielding anything,' Vance said in response to a question from a reporter. 'He's been incredibly transparent about that stuff, but some of that stuff takes time.' The furor from the MAGA base over Epstein put Vance, who has in the past entertained conspiracy theories about the convicted sex offender, in a tricky position after the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo maintaining that the disgraced financier died by suicide. Vance reportedly served as a mediator between Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino after Bongino aired quitting the week the memo was released. But he otherwise largely stayed quiet as the administration tried to contain the fallout. Now, several weeks later, the MAGA-verse's focus on the issue has abated, despite multiple reports from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal about Trump's ties to Epstein — findings the president has strenuously denied. The president's attempt to have grand jury transcripts about Epstein unsealed was also defeated in Florida last week, although a ruling has yet to be made in Epstein's criminal case in New York. In Ohio, Vance attempted to pin blame on anyone but the president. 'For four years, under Joe Biden's Department of Justice, the media didn't give a damn about the Epstein files or about the Epstein case,' he said. He also blamed the Bush and Obama administrations for not 'fully' investigating the case. 'Donald J. Trump, I'm telling you, he's got nothing to hide,' he said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Elvis Presley's Final Moments With Linda Thompson Revealed
Elvis Presley's Final Moments With Linda Thompson Revealed originally appeared on Parade. Elvis Presley's longtime girlfriend, Linda Thompson, shared a heartfelt video reflecting on the last time she saw the King of Rock and Roll alive. She recalled the deep bond they shared while also revealing how he 'lied through his teeth' during a pivotal moment in their relationship. Despite her heartbreak, Thompson's words offered a glimpse into the love and complexity that defined their long union. The Grammy-nominated lyricist reposted a TikTok video clip to Instagram, where she spoke of the last time she saw the King of Rock and Roll alive. She shared his last words to her in November 1976. "The last time I saw Elvis alive, he was playing the Cow Palace in San Francisco," she began. During the trip, the entertainer asked Thompson if she wanted to return to Memphis to visit her family, saying he brought his private plane for her to fly back home. "I responded, 'Really? You brought the plane in just for me? Are you sure you didn't bring in another girl from Memphis?'" she questioned. Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 He responded, "'No honey. You know I wouldn't do that.' I remember looking into his gorgeous blue eyes and he was so sincere and just lying through his teeth." It was shortly after that conversation that Thompson decided she would leave her life with Presley at Graceland behind. She admitted that Presley was likely "shocked and hurt" at her departure, but ultimately, she believes he understood. She shared further details in the post's caption. "I was just telling this story last night at dinner to a couple of friends and co-writers from Nashville! Elvis finished by saying, 'And no matter what you may hear or read, I love you and I don't love anybody else.'" She continued, "He even had tears in his eyes as he professed that love. There was, however, another girl in a holding pattern on the floor below in our hotel, waiting to get the OK to come up. Elvis was not monogamous in any of his relationships." Shortly after Thompson left Graceland for good, Presley began a relationship with Ginger Alden. In January 1977, he and Alden became engaged after two months of dating. Elvis Presley died in August 1977. He was 42. Elvis Presley's Final Moments With Linda Thompson Revealed first appeared on Parade on Jul 28, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
