Cassie Ventura, the singer and former girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs, took the witness stand Tuesday in the music mogul's ongoing federal sex-trafficking trial, delivering emotional testimony detailing a decade of alleged physical violence, psychological control, and forced sexual encounters she said were orchestrated by Combs.
Ventura, who is currently pregnant, appeared visibly shaken as she addressed jurors at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. At several points, she paused to collect herself, saying softly, "I'm sorry," while dabbing her eyes with a tissue. The courtroom marked the first time Ventura and Combs had been in the same room since the 2018 funeral of Combs' ex-partner Kim Porter.
Now 37, Ventura said she was just 19 when she met Combs in New York and signed a 10-album deal with his label, Bad Boy Records. The relationship began as professional and later became romantic. She testified that Combs kissed her unexpectedly during her 21st birthday celebration in Las Vegas, leaving her "really confused."
"He happened to have my career in his hands," Ventura told the jury, describing Combs as "entertaining," "fun," and "larger than life." Still, she said she was "naïve" and "sexually inexperienced" when they began dating.
Over the years, Ventura said, the relationship turned violent and coercive. She alleged that Combs physically assaulted her during arguments, saying: "He would smash me in my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down." Asked how often this occurred, she responded, "Too frequently."
Ventura also described a pattern of sexual exploitation, referring to events Combs called "freak-offs." According to her testimony, Combs initially proposed the idea of voyeuristic sex involving a male third party during the first year of their relationship. "Within the first year of our relationship, he proposed this idea, this sexual encounter that he called voyeurism where he would watch me be in intercourse with a third party, specifically with another man," she testified.
"I knew it wasn't something I wanted to be doing especially as regularly as it became," she said. "But again, I was just in love and wanted to make him happy."
The "freak-offs" escalated in frequency and duration, sometimes lasting up to four days. Ventura said she was often given drugs to perform during the events, then needed several days to recover from dehydration and sleep deprivation. "The 'freak-offs' became a job, where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and feel normal again," she testified.
Eventually, Ventura said she became responsible for arranging the encounters herself, hiring escorts, booking hotel rooms, and setting the scenes. "It became a job for me," she said. "But in the beginning, Sean set it up. He was in charge."
Ventura said she feared the consequences of saying no. "I didn't know what 'no' could be, or what 'no' could turn into," she said. "I just didn't feel like I had much say in it at that time, being really super young, naïve, total people pleaser."
She added that Combs videotaped the encounters and implied she feared he could use the recordings to blackmail her. He had total "control" over every aspect of her life and career, she said. She also described daily psychological abuse, testifying that Combs dictated what she wore, how she behaved, and whom she interacted with. He would say things like "fix your face" and "watch your mouth," she said. "I wasn't getting it [freedom] in a lot of other ways."
Other witnesses also testified Monday. Daniel Phillip, a male escort, said he was hired multiple times over a two-year period to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched. He described Combs as threatening and controlling, stating that Combs photographed his driver's license "for insurance," which he interpreted as an act of intimidation. "I took it to be he was threatening me," Phillip testified.
Another witness, a former security guard, told the court he saw Combs assault Ventura outside a Los Angeles hotel elevator in 2016, corroborating Ventura's account of a violent altercation captured by surveillance footage.
Ventura's testimony is expected to continue throughout the week, with cross-examination by Combs' legal team. Combs has pleaded not guilty to federal charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
