Diddy Rejects Plea Deal, Will Head to Trial in Sex Trafficking Case

Sean "Diddy" Combs is officially headed to trial after rejecting a government plea deal that could have shortened what may become a life sentence. The 55-year-old music mogul appeared in court Thursday in a beige prison uniform, calmly telling the judge he would not accept the offer. His high-stakes sex trafficking case will begin jury selection next week, with opening arguments scheduled for May 12.

Combs faces multiple charges linked to alleged coercion and exploitation, with prosecutors accusing him of organizing long-running sex events dubbed “freak-offs.” His legal team is preparing to argue that Combs lived a nontraditional “swinger lifestyle”—one that may be controversial, they claim, but not criminal. The trial, expected to last at least eight weeks, will include high-profile witness testimony, including from his former partner Cassie Ventura, who previously accused him of rape and abuse.

The judge has also ruled that surveillance footage showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura in a hotel can be admitted. The trial begins just as the Met Gala gets underway—a stark contrast for a man once synonymous with celebrity glamour, now facing some of the most serious legal charges of his life.