October 3, 2025 • 27 mins
Despite begging the judge for mercy and a second chance at being a better father and son, Sean “Diddy” Combs will spend the next 3 years behind bars. Judge Arun Subramanian told Diddy that he took into account his philanthropy and the positive impact he’s had on his community, but that “a history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case, which shows that you abused the power and control over the lives of women who you professed to love.”
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, there are folks. It is Friday, October third. Sean
Diddy Combs will be in prison for another three plus years.
Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Ropes. We
need some context here. We just got the sentencing for
Sean Didty Combs. He has been sentenced to four years
(00:23):
two months in jail. Fifty months total is what we got.
Now he's spent fourteen in jail already. There's time served
and all this stuff or good behavior, But the bottom line, folks,
is that Sean Didty Combs is going to be in
prison for years to come.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
That's correct, and in fact, there have already been speculation
that if he has good behavior, he could possibly get
out in two and a half years. But it is
certainly not what Sean Combs wanted. That's not what his
defense team wanted, and he seemed he didn't seem he
seemed disappointed. I guess that's probably the best way to
(01:01):
put it when the verdict was read. But I know
that many of you who are following along and watching
the judges comments as they were coming down through some
of those live reports from reporters in the courtroom, many
of us present party included thought that the judge was
going to go even harsher, was going to add even
more years. I was actually, in a sense relieved because
(01:24):
I thought he was going to throw the book at
him by what he was saying leading up to the
actual sentencing.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And to a certain degree, Shan Ditecombs and his lawyers
might feel like the book has been thrown at them
at him because they were asking for fourteen months. He's
been in prison for thirteen months already during the trial,
so it's almost a time serve situation, and they are
in their minds thinking about him being home maybe immediately
(01:50):
or at least in time for the holidays, is what
we're talking about. Ropes. This was a big dramatic moment
today when it was revealed that he had speaking engagements
lined up five six of them at a nonprofit that
works with incosts are in people. So it was still
supposed to be something he was giving back to the community,
but it was revealed during his sentencing hearing that this
(02:12):
man whose life is on the line and going possibly
to prison for years.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Is already planning being free.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Judge can't feel good about that now, No end good.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Calls, and because we had people who were in the
courtroom watching. He actually his head snapped up, I believe
is how they described it when the prosecutors dropped that bomb.
And I do think that was a moment where he thought, oh, no,
that's not good. And it certainly was not a good
look to have someone who was facing up to eleven
(02:43):
but maybe even twenty years behind bars already planning or
assuming that he could be free in a week. And
so that was not a good look. And it spoke
to I even said to you, do you think his lawyers,
people close to him convinced him made him believe that
he was actually going to be free after this hearing?
(03:03):
The answer has to be maybe, or even probably.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Look that look, some of us there was a lot
of conversation around the possibility of him going home today
and if we thought it, you know, that was best
case scenario. Maybe thought it was pie in the sky,
but there was some part of him who thought that.
And you do not make possible plans for next week
(03:29):
and the next two weeks in Miami if you think
you're going to prison for a long.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
But you were shocked when you heard that. I was
shocked when I heard that. I don't think any one
of us actually thought that was highly likely. Yes, there
was a chance, but it was a chance. So it
was very shocking to hear that he actually thought it
was significantly more than a chance, enough to actually schedule
potential speeches outside of prison as a free man in Miami,
(03:58):
starting to go ahead and give back to the community,
moving past a prison sentence. That was fairly shocking to me.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
The context there. Yes, the prosecution kind of dropped that
bomb and let everybody know he had these speaking engagements.
It comes out and in fact it was a nonprofit.
Then his attorney explained it later by saying, yeah, we
want him to have things to do or to look
forward to, or to have an anticipation for. Is how
they explained it. Fine either way, at the end of
the day, it didn't matter much to this Judge Robes.
(04:27):
We sat here, this is how it happened today in court. Look,
we didn't know how long this thing was going to go.
This was an all day affair.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
We did not anticipate that at all.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We didn't think they were going to have a lunch break.
And then they took a lunch break and said, oh,
we need to get settled in here for a little bit,
but a key component. We had an earlier episode where
we're explaining what happened previously in court, but here we
just want to go through what did he said and
what the judge said. So they requested, I don't know
if this happens, but the judge granted it. The defense asked, hey,
(05:00):
I know the prosecution has a rebuttal coming, so they
were going to get to have a rebuttal to everything
the defense did. They said, but we would like and
we asked that Sean Diddy Combs be allowed to speak
after the prosecution rebuttal. Point there being the last person
the judge got to hear from today before he made
his decision was Sean Diddy Combs.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's right, and he had a twelve minute speech so
to speak to the court where he first of all
thanked the judge in the court for giving him the
opportunity to finally speak, and he talked about how that
was one of the most difficult parts about the entire trial,
was not being able to express He said, how sorry
(05:41):
I am for my actions. I want to thank you
for giving me the chance to finally speak up for myself.
So we said being quiet, staying quiet was incredibly difficult,
and he did start off with an apology, which I
did think was the right call. He apologized for any
harm or hurt that he caused Cassie ventur Fine. He
(06:02):
also apologized to Jane, saying that that's of course a
pseudonym for one of his former girlfriends, that he was
sorry that I brought you into my mess. He also
apologized to all victims of domestic violence, citing the video
that we all saw that was played at nauseum during
trial of him beating ventur A Cassie Ventur Fine in
(06:22):
twenty sixteen that we saw last year, but certainly was
the centerpiece perhaps of the prosecution's case against him when
it came to the violence in which he was able
to control Cassie and other women.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
That was We've mentioned that again and I said to
you a moment ago, I mean, he's gotten people going
to talk about this. Yes, he was sentenced to four
years and two months officially for transportation to participate in prostitution.
And I said to you, a lot of people had
an issue with him doing a lot of time for
(06:59):
crimes that he wasn't convicted of, and even in the
hearing today the judge said, I am going to allow
conduct that you weren't convicted of to be a factor
in my sentencing for you, I said to you about
that video. Man, if everybody was speculating, he's probably gonna
get five years six to everybody. Whoever, if you're listening
(07:19):
right now, you've had a conversation with somebody saying, what
do you think he's gonna get four years two months
that video alone? If you told me you want to
give him four years, two months, five years, six years
just for the video of what we saw happening with
Cassie Venturo, I don't know how you could make an
argument against that.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I think most people would be okay with that, and
especially in the context of that was just one moment,
that was just one day, that there were countless incidents
that were similar to that that we didn't see, that
we would never see. That only she could describe that,
only she lived through. So but to actually have that
physical proof that we could actually witness with our own eyes,
(08:02):
you can't unsee it, and seeing how brutal it was,
how vicious it was, I do believe that the sentence
that was handed down today, I agree with you by
just looking at that video, I don't think many people
could argue that that wasn't a just sentence, even if
it were just for that particular singular moment.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Just as a human being, You're not that was just awful.
That's going to stick with all of us. But just that,
and again, a lot of the legales we don't understand
and what's right and the man act and all this
back and forth. What we understand is not all the
racketeering and all No, what we understand is that this
man we see beating a woman, This man we hear
(08:47):
in court day and day out. A lot of this
was not disputed. Harassing, abusing, assaulting.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Threatening women, yes, and people right kicking someone while they're down.
I mean, that is kind of one of the lowest
things you can do to someone. And that is actually
what we witnessed.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And again, I know his family is hurting, but on
a human level, And even if you don't understand all
the legal back and forth, you don't have a problem
saying this is unjust like he got too much. You're
not going to say that. You can make an argument
he didn't get enough. But it's difficult to make an
argument right Robes that yes, he's got too much time
(09:27):
with the judge was too harsh on.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I think that that is a very fair way to
look at it. I mean, everyone's going to have their
individual opinion, but I do think that, and again, I
think the judge was building it up. We were actually
at the edge of our seats looking and refreshing to
get the court room reporters like minute by minute, blow
by blow, what's happening in court, And when you were
(09:52):
hearing what the judge was saying, it seemed as though
he was going to be much harsher.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Oh yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I was like, oh my god, he might actually get
ten years, he might get seven years. We were really
thinking that. So then when he ended up saying fifty months,
it actually felt like a little bit of a relief, like, Okay,
it's not going to be that much. And then when
we really processed it, it actually felt pretty fair.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Can you say a relief? Not that we wanted him
to get what I'm saying, what you were saying, and
I don't know what you're saying that we for a
moment while the judge was speaking, said, holy hell, he's
going to give him more than the eleven Yes, like
he was sounding that harsh yes to where we thought
Diddy was going away for a long decades.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
He could have been sent away for twenty years period.
That absolutely could have happened, and that was within the
judge's discretion to do that. So it was possible.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
So Didy in making his what was it twelve minutes,
they said it was well. They spoke to the judge.
He said, I asked your honor for the chance to
be a father again. I asked your honor for the
chance to be a son again. I asked your honor
for the chance to be a leader in my community again.
I asked for a chance to get the help that
I desperately need to become a better person, because I
don't want to let God down. I don't want to
(11:09):
let my family down. I would have robes that I
can't imagine what this was like to hear him speak
in that quote room.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
He actually used the word beg. He begged the judge
for mercy. That was a very humble moment. I do
appreciate what he said as well, when he said I
can't change the past, but can change the future. And
that's when he said, I asked your honor for mercy.
I beg your honor for mercy to be a father again,
(11:37):
a son again, and be a leader in my community again,
and get the help I desperately need. So that I
thought that was a heartfelt moment. When he, you know
I mentioned in the episode earlier, like some of his
pleas for mercy, with some of the highly produced video
(12:02):
that he sent and some of the things he said
in his letter, I was a little bit turned off by.
But I do think he did humble himself in front
of the court. Not that it meant that he should
have gotten off or away or let out immediately, but
I do think that it did feel heartfelt. It did
feel authentic.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
The judge though, as we mentioned, he certainly built this
thing up, and there was anticipation, and you could tell,
really almost robes from the moment the hearings started this
morning at ten o'clock. Things were not gonna go Sean
diddy Combe's way. And then once we did start hearing
from the judge, right before he was going to announce
(12:45):
the fifty months sentence, you would have been convinced that
this judge was about to throw the book. Yep. Isn't
that the phrase yes, throw the book at Diddy, We'll
tell you stay here after the break what the joke
judge said that had us thinking, did he was gonna
go away for eleven, twelve, fifteen years? Even? Stay here?
(13:16):
All right, folks, we continue now, Seawan Didty Combs fifty
months in prison? That is his sentence. That equates to
four years and two months. Do the math with the
thirteen almost coming up on fourteen months he's already done,
that would mean about another three years in prison for
Sean did He Combs. I don't know the math. Good behavior,
(13:37):
but you've been looking into this. He could potentially get
out two and.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
A half years, is what a lot of folks think.
He'll be in prison for another thirty months or so,
give or take.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
All right, So that is what we know now of
this whole ordeal. Yes, Shawn Combs is going to PRIs
this medium mogul, the guy who has who literally was
a part of changing the game and music changing what
hip hop, taking hip around the world. This guy is
an icon in the industry and one of the biggest
self made entrepreneurs we have ever seen in hip hop.
(14:10):
Is going to prison for three years excuse me, forty.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Fifty months, fifty months, but so it'll be a total four. Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
I just want to make sure I continue to stay clear.
Now the judge when he started, so did he got
to speak. He was the last person to speak before
the judge got to speak. And roads when the judge started,
our eye rives started like wait, whoa wait, and then
every update we got was worse than the last one.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Correct or did he at least yes? Because he said, yes,
I'm considering the fact that you're a self made artist.
I'm considering the fact that you've inspired and lifted up
your community. He noted his philanthropic work, his devotion to
his family, his work battling his own drug addiction. But
this is when you get the butt. However, the court
has to consider all of your history here and he said,
(14:55):
a hit, this is this is an important phrase, and
we went, oh, no, a history of good works can't
wash away the record in this case, which shows that
you abuse the power and control over the lives of
women who you professed to love.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
We heard that though, whoa uh, oh, this is this
is not going his way.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
And then when he said this was subjugation, and it
drove both Miss Ventura and Jane to thoughts of ending
their lives. That was significant. I thought, my goodness, he's
actually almost accusing him of attempted murder in a way.
That was what he's like, You are responsible for their
feelings of suicide. And so then he went on to
(15:38):
say the court is not assured that if released, these
crimes will not be committed again. That one was a doozy.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You said it earlier, and it's weird to say this
about this particular judge on brand. This dude has been consistent,
isn't that all You really want to be treated You
want to be treated fairly, but you want a guy
to be consistent. And he has been consistent because they
have been asking and asking and asking since this trial
started in beforehand. Please let did he go home. We'll
do anything you want, give any money, you want, any ankle, monitoring,
(16:10):
any security. Just let him go home. And every turn
the judge said, nope, I am not convinced this dude
ain't a threat.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
He also, this was really powerful when the judge rejected
the idea that Diddy was a casual consumer of prostitution services.
You know, they were trying to say that he was
an amateur, a John or an amateur porn producer, whatever
they were trying to say. But the judge said this,
you were no John. You were more than that. Even
(16:40):
if your currency was satisfying your sexual desires instead of money.
That hit because that was the big argument with the defense.
He didn't profit from this. He didn't earn money from
from putting his girlfriends out or having some sort of process.
There was no there was no financial gain from him
for him, and so the judge said, your currency was
(17:03):
satisfying your sexual desires. And honestly, that did ring true.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
And this is all star starting to pile up. We
were sitting and watching we just we had and we
wanted to say thank you to CBS, to CNN, to
New York Times, Post, New York Times, at the NBC News.
We had all five of y'all's live feeds up and
we were depending on those reporters to give us infos
that we want to say thank you to you all,
and we're passing this stuff along. But as we were
(17:31):
keeping up robes, the judge like are We were like,
holy hell, he is about to really throw the book
at this guy. But then he took moments and what
he was saying to acknowledge that Diddy is influential, that
he is iconic, that he has been good to the community.
So this is where it turned, and we thought, oh,
(17:53):
maybe he's balancing this thing out, Maybe it won't be
so bad.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
He acknowledged that it was impressive what he had been
able to accomplish in the fact that his father had
died in early violent death and the trauma that must
have been left, So he was acknowledging what did he
had been through as a child. But then he said
his sentence was going to send a message to abusers
and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is
(18:19):
met with real accountability. We were up and down, like
he's gonna go No, he's gonna go hard. Well, maybe
he's gonna give him a break. Oh my god, No,
he's gonna throw the We were back and forth because
the judge really did cover so many different bases when
he was leading up to the sentencing.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I think a lot of people might have applauded that sentence.
You're making that sentence, and that sentiment like, I actually
do need to send a message legally speaking? Is that
a part of I mean, the judge had discretion in
what he could do. He knew the guidelines, but he,
for whatever reason, thought it was important to say that.
(18:54):
I know, he acknowledged that everybody's watching this and think
that these victims have not been heard, that haven't been respected.
And he added that line, I think to cover a
lot of basis.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
He did so. Yes, he sentenced Sean Comes to fifty months.
He imposed a fine of half a million dollars. But
then I actually really loved what this judge did next.
First he addressed Cassie Ventura, and he says, and the
other brave survivors that came forward, I want to say, first,
we heard you. I thought that was pretty cool, he said,
(19:29):
I am proud of you for coming to the court
to tell the world what really happened. You weren't just
speaking to the twelve folks in the jury box. You
were speaking to the millions of women out there who
have been victims, but who feel invisible and powerless and
have had to suffer in silence. You gave them a voice.
You stood up to power. It's not easy. You told
(19:49):
those women in the world that violence behind closed doors
doesn't have to stay hidden forever. The number of people
who you reached is incalculable. There are millions of survivors
out there. Most of those people will never speak up
about their abuse. The consequences are often tragic, as they
were in this case. I know you still bear the
trauma of what happened to you. You likely always will.
(20:11):
But what you've taught us here by coming forward is
that even if you were a victim, you don't always
have to be. That gave me chills.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
He didn't have to say that. That was powerful. He
gets it. He didn't have to say that. He chose
to say that. To say those words, and not just
to the women in this case, he sent that message
to the women of this country.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
And as kind as he was to them, and as
reassuring he was to the people out there who are victims,
he also then softened his tone towards Ditty next, and
I thought that was also pretty cool for him to
be able to strike that balance between both the victims
and then Ditty himself. And he told Diddy, there is
(20:56):
light at the end of this tunnel. You and your
family will get through this. I thought that was a
cool thing to say, as well, knowing and noting that
Diddy was visibly disappointed and visibly upset about what had happened.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Tough day for that family, and just an awful, I
mean awful couple of decades of experiences around Sean Dittycomb's
someone who, yes, I have looked up to since I
was in high school, and to be sitting here reporting
about this, I think none of us expected anything like this.
(21:32):
But it is a tragedy all around. Yeah, it's a tragedy.
We talked about this with the story with the raising
money for the family of the shooter, and right there
are victims all around, including a two year old baby
whose daddy is going to who has been who's going
to end up in prison more than she's been alive
correct by the time he gets out. Right, So there
(21:54):
are victims all around. This is just a sad, awful
story for everybody. Who do you feel sorry for? You're
not supposed to have sympathy for him, but this isn't
This is another I'm thinking about all these stories and
downfalls of powerful people. We've learned so much and I
don't know what we're gonna get from this later, but Robes,
(22:14):
I have had some conversations here on the podcast with
you about this story. I've had very I've had private
conversations with you about this, but there there are important conversations,
and I don't know what we're going to do and
what people are going to do with this because it
was all jokes about baby oil and whatnot. This is
(22:35):
such an important story and experience that we have all
just done. We've witnessed, I mean, Cassie, the victims we
went through, who is really a victim? Like, what do
we learn now that we can now apply to the
next story and the next victim and the next person
who speaks out? What can the next powerful man learn
(22:56):
about this type of thing? And you shouldn't have to
learn from this, You shouldn't do this type of behavior.
But I'm saying this is just I'm kind of glad
it's over, but I am hopeful but also nervous about
the lessons that we're going to learn from.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
It's funny you just said that because I loved the
judge's last line, because it was hopeful and it was
about lessons. He said directly to Diddy, you will have
a chance to show your children and the world what
real accountability, change and healing can look like. Court is adjourned.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Man it just doesn't have to start today with you
being home.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
And maybe it shouldn't.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
What a story, what a life? What an experience? What
an extraordinary individual? What a downfall? We say, now Rose,
But the story isn't over. Is there a contribution shown
Ditty Combs can make to the community moving forward? The
answer is yes, it actually is. Yeah, whatever he decides
(24:04):
to do. But in the interim, in the short term,
one of the most iconic individuals to ever participate in
hip hop is gone. It's over, it's done. That part
of his life is over. What's the next part? Is
it going to be a contribution?
Speaker 2 (24:22):
It could be a beautiful second half of his life.
It could be he's fifty five, he'll be out when
he's fifty seven to fifty eight. He has potentially another
four decades to do good in the world and to
be the man that he says he wants to be
that he's becoming through all of this, and we're rooting
(24:44):
for him.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah, and the probably people hear that and go, wait
a minute, no, this is a human story. Cassie moves
her family out of New York for fear of this guy.
You got Jane, you got Mia, We've heard these horrific stories.
Their lives go now rope. Do they feel a sense
of relief or are they freaking out encircling the calendar
of when he's going to get out because they're still worried? Right,
(25:08):
lives were forever changed by this. Look our lives. I
could not believe we're sitting here. Our whole day has been.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
This, Yes, but I have I feel like I've been
on a roller coaster. I know you have too, But
I do feel like these are the moments where we
can make a decision to learn from all of this,
to learn from others' mistakes, to reflect within, to think
about the things we've done that we're not proud of,
and just choose to do better and be better. We're
(25:39):
going to fall down, but I do think that I
believe in redemption. I do believe in rehabilitation. I don't
think anyone is a lost cause. Very few people there
are some, of course, But I do choose to believe
that there could be good that comes out of this.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Well, folks, it has been a hell of a ride,
but there you are. Sean Diddy Combs has been sentenced
to fifty months in prison. That's four years and two months.
He has served about thirteen fourteen months already, so he'll
get credit for that time served, so that means about
three years he is expected to still be in prison.
This has been a at times, robes those day and
(26:18):
day outs of the listenings of the trial was hard
to stomach.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
It was it was, but we got through it, and
I do think we're all the wiser for it. And
I do think that those women, those very strong women,
that is not easy to do what Cassie did, to
do what Jane did, to do what the other victims did,
and under that kind of scrutiny, with that kind of pressure,
(26:44):
with the world watching about a man that a lot
of people love, admire, respect and don't want to believe
the worst of like that is a very tough position
to be in. And I applaud them, and I hope
that it doesn't deter anyone else who's the victim of
abuse to come forward, because I do feel like today's
verdict was a victory in believing people when they talk
(27:12):
about what they've been through and they have the courage
to speak up and to speak out, And so I
do think that we did gain a lot throughout this,
even though, it was a very difficult road to travel.
So with that, thank you for listening to us. Everyone
I made me Roeboch alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to
you soon.
Hey, there are folks. It is Friday, October third. Sean
Diddy Combs will be in prison for another three plus years.
Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Ropes. We
need some context here. We just got the sentencing for
Sean Didty Combs. He has been sentenced to four years
(00:23):
two months in jail. Fifty months total is what we got.
Now he's spent fourteen in jail already. There's time served
and all this stuff or good behavior, But the bottom line, folks,
is that Sean Didty Combs is going to be in
prison for years to come.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
That's correct, and in fact, there have already been speculation
that if he has good behavior, he could possibly get
out in two and a half years. But it is
certainly not what Sean Combs wanted. That's not what his
defense team wanted, and he seemed he didn't seem he
seemed disappointed. I guess that's probably the best way to
(01:01):
put it when the verdict was read. But I know
that many of you who are following along and watching
the judges comments as they were coming down through some
of those live reports from reporters in the courtroom, many
of us present party included thought that the judge was
going to go even harsher, was going to add even
more years. I was actually, in a sense relieved because
(01:24):
I thought he was going to throw the book at
him by what he was saying leading up to the
actual sentencing.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And to a certain degree, Shan Ditecombs and his lawyers
might feel like the book has been thrown at them
at him because they were asking for fourteen months. He's
been in prison for thirteen months already during the trial,
so it's almost a time serve situation, and they are
in their minds thinking about him being home maybe immediately
(01:50):
or at least in time for the holidays, is what
we're talking about. Ropes. This was a big dramatic moment
today when it was revealed that he had speaking engagements
lined up five six of them at a nonprofit that
works with incosts are in people. So it was still
supposed to be something he was giving back to the community,
but it was revealed during his sentencing hearing that this
(02:12):
man whose life is on the line and going possibly
to prison for years.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Is already planning being free.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Judge can't feel good about that now, No end good.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Calls, and because we had people who were in the
courtroom watching. He actually his head snapped up, I believe
is how they described it when the prosecutors dropped that bomb.
And I do think that was a moment where he thought, oh, no,
that's not good. And it certainly was not a good
look to have someone who was facing up to eleven
(02:43):
but maybe even twenty years behind bars already planning or
assuming that he could be free in a week. And
so that was not a good look. And it spoke
to I even said to you, do you think his lawyers,
people close to him convinced him made him believe that
he was actually going to be free after this hearing?
(03:03):
The answer has to be maybe, or even probably.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Look that look, some of us there was a lot
of conversation around the possibility of him going home today
and if we thought it, you know, that was best
case scenario. Maybe thought it was pie in the sky,
but there was some part of him who thought that.
And you do not make possible plans for next week
(03:29):
and the next two weeks in Miami if you think
you're going to prison for a long.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
But you were shocked when you heard that. I was
shocked when I heard that. I don't think any one
of us actually thought that was highly likely. Yes, there
was a chance, but it was a chance. So it
was very shocking to hear that he actually thought it
was significantly more than a chance, enough to actually schedule
potential speeches outside of prison as a free man in Miami,
(03:58):
starting to go ahead and give back to the community,
moving past a prison sentence. That was fairly shocking to me.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
The context there. Yes, the prosecution kind of dropped that
bomb and let everybody know he had these speaking engagements.
It comes out and in fact it was a nonprofit.
Then his attorney explained it later by saying, yeah, we
want him to have things to do or to look
forward to, or to have an anticipation for. Is how
they explained it. Fine either way, at the end of
the day, it didn't matter much to this Judge Robes.
(04:27):
We sat here, this is how it happened today in court. Look,
we didn't know how long this thing was going to go.
This was an all day affair.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
We did not anticipate that at all.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We didn't think they were going to have a lunch break.
And then they took a lunch break and said, oh,
we need to get settled in here for a little bit,
but a key component. We had an earlier episode where
we're explaining what happened previously in court, but here we
just want to go through what did he said and
what the judge said. So they requested, I don't know
if this happens, but the judge granted it. The defense asked, hey,
(05:00):
I know the prosecution has a rebuttal coming, so they
were going to get to have a rebuttal to everything
the defense did. They said, but we would like and
we asked that Sean Diddy Combs be allowed to speak
after the prosecution rebuttal. Point there being the last person
the judge got to hear from today before he made
his decision was Sean Diddy Combs.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's right, and he had a twelve minute speech so
to speak to the court where he first of all
thanked the judge in the court for giving him the
opportunity to finally speak, and he talked about how that
was one of the most difficult parts about the entire trial,
was not being able to express He said, how sorry
(05:41):
I am for my actions. I want to thank you
for giving me the chance to finally speak up for myself.
So we said being quiet, staying quiet was incredibly difficult,
and he did start off with an apology, which I
did think was the right call. He apologized for any
harm or hurt that he caused Cassie ventur Fine. He
(06:02):
also apologized to Jane, saying that that's of course a
pseudonym for one of his former girlfriends, that he was
sorry that I brought you into my mess. He also
apologized to all victims of domestic violence, citing the video
that we all saw that was played at nauseum during
trial of him beating ventur A Cassie Ventur Fine in
(06:22):
twenty sixteen that we saw last year, but certainly was
the centerpiece perhaps of the prosecution's case against him when
it came to the violence in which he was able
to control Cassie and other women.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
That was We've mentioned that again and I said to
you a moment ago, I mean, he's gotten people going
to talk about this. Yes, he was sentenced to four
years and two months officially for transportation to participate in prostitution.
And I said to you, a lot of people had
an issue with him doing a lot of time for
(06:59):
crimes that he wasn't convicted of, and even in the
hearing today the judge said, I am going to allow
conduct that you weren't convicted of to be a factor
in my sentencing for you, I said to you about
that video. Man, if everybody was speculating, he's probably gonna
get five years six to everybody. Whoever, if you're listening
(07:19):
right now, you've had a conversation with somebody saying, what
do you think he's gonna get four years two months
that video alone? If you told me you want to
give him four years, two months, five years, six years
just for the video of what we saw happening with
Cassie Venturo, I don't know how you could make an
argument against that.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I think most people would be okay with that, and
especially in the context of that was just one moment,
that was just one day, that there were countless incidents
that were similar to that that we didn't see, that
we would never see. That only she could describe that,
only she lived through. So but to actually have that
physical proof that we could actually witness with our own eyes,
(08:02):
you can't unsee it, and seeing how brutal it was,
how vicious it was, I do believe that the sentence
that was handed down today, I agree with you by
just looking at that video, I don't think many people
could argue that that wasn't a just sentence, even if
it were just for that particular singular moment.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Just as a human being, You're not that was just awful.
That's going to stick with all of us. But just that,
and again, a lot of the legales we don't understand
and what's right and the man act and all this
back and forth. What we understand is not all the
racketeering and all No, what we understand is that this
man we see beating a woman, This man we hear
(08:47):
in court day and day out. A lot of this
was not disputed. Harassing, abusing, assaulting.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Threatening women, yes, and people right kicking someone while they're down.
I mean, that is kind of one of the lowest
things you can do to someone. And that is actually
what we witnessed.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And again, I know his family is hurting, but on
a human level, And even if you don't understand all
the legal back and forth, you don't have a problem
saying this is unjust like he got too much. You're
not going to say that. You can make an argument
he didn't get enough. But it's difficult to make an
argument right Robes that yes, he's got too much time
(09:27):
with the judge was too harsh on.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I think that that is a very fair way to
look at it. I mean, everyone's going to have their
individual opinion, but I do think that, and again, I
think the judge was building it up. We were actually
at the edge of our seats looking and refreshing to
get the court room reporters like minute by minute, blow
by blow, what's happening in court, And when you were
(09:52):
hearing what the judge was saying, it seemed as though
he was going to be much harsher.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Oh yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I was like, oh my god, he might actually get
ten years, he might get seven years. We were really
thinking that. So then when he ended up saying fifty months,
it actually felt like a little bit of a relief, like, Okay,
it's not going to be that much. And then when
we really processed it, it actually felt pretty fair.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Can you say a relief? Not that we wanted him
to get what I'm saying, what you were saying, and
I don't know what you're saying that we for a
moment while the judge was speaking, said, holy hell, he's
going to give him more than the eleven Yes, like
he was sounding that harsh yes to where we thought
Diddy was going away for a long decades.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
He could have been sent away for twenty years period.
That absolutely could have happened, and that was within the
judge's discretion to do that. So it was possible.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
So Didy in making his what was it twelve minutes,
they said it was well. They spoke to the judge.
He said, I asked your honor for the chance to
be a father again. I asked your honor for the
chance to be a son again. I asked your honor
for the chance to be a leader in my community again.
I asked for a chance to get the help that
I desperately need to become a better person, because I
don't want to let God down. I don't want to
(11:09):
let my family down. I would have robes that I
can't imagine what this was like to hear him speak
in that quote room.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
He actually used the word beg. He begged the judge
for mercy. That was a very humble moment. I do
appreciate what he said as well, when he said I
can't change the past, but can change the future. And
that's when he said, I asked your honor for mercy.
I beg your honor for mercy to be a father again,
(11:37):
a son again, and be a leader in my community again,
and get the help I desperately need. So that I
thought that was a heartfelt moment. When he, you know
I mentioned in the episode earlier, like some of his
pleas for mercy, with some of the highly produced video
(12:02):
that he sent and some of the things he said
in his letter, I was a little bit turned off by.
But I do think he did humble himself in front
of the court. Not that it meant that he should
have gotten off or away or let out immediately, but
I do think that it did feel heartfelt. It did
feel authentic.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
The judge though, as we mentioned, he certainly built this
thing up, and there was anticipation, and you could tell,
really almost robes from the moment the hearings started this
morning at ten o'clock. Things were not gonna go Sean
diddy Combe's way. And then once we did start hearing
from the judge, right before he was going to announce
(12:45):
the fifty months sentence, you would have been convinced that
this judge was about to throw the book. Yep. Isn't
that the phrase yes, throw the book at Diddy, We'll
tell you stay here after the break what the joke
judge said that had us thinking, did he was gonna
go away for eleven, twelve, fifteen years? Even? Stay here?
(13:16):
All right, folks, we continue now, Seawan Didty Combs fifty
months in prison? That is his sentence. That equates to
four years and two months. Do the math with the
thirteen almost coming up on fourteen months he's already done,
that would mean about another three years in prison for
Sean did He Combs. I don't know the math. Good behavior,
(13:37):
but you've been looking into this. He could potentially get
out two and.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
A half years, is what a lot of folks think.
He'll be in prison for another thirty months or so,
give or take.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
All right, So that is what we know now of
this whole ordeal. Yes, Shawn Combs is going to PRIs
this medium mogul, the guy who has who literally was
a part of changing the game and music changing what
hip hop, taking hip around the world. This guy is
an icon in the industry and one of the biggest
self made entrepreneurs we have ever seen in hip hop.
(14:10):
Is going to prison for three years excuse me, forty.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Fifty months, fifty months, but so it'll be a total four. Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
I just want to make sure I continue to stay clear.
Now the judge when he started, so did he got
to speak. He was the last person to speak before
the judge got to speak. And roads when the judge started,
our eye rives started like wait, whoa wait, and then
every update we got was worse than the last one.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Correct or did he at least yes? Because he said, yes,
I'm considering the fact that you're a self made artist.
I'm considering the fact that you've inspired and lifted up
your community. He noted his philanthropic work, his devotion to
his family, his work battling his own drug addiction. But
this is when you get the butt. However, the court
has to consider all of your history here and he said,
(14:55):
a hit, this is this is an important phrase, and
we went, oh, no, a history of good works can't
wash away the record in this case, which shows that
you abuse the power and control over the lives of
women who you professed to love.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
We heard that though, whoa uh, oh, this is this
is not going his way.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
And then when he said this was subjugation, and it
drove both Miss Ventura and Jane to thoughts of ending
their lives. That was significant. I thought, my goodness, he's
actually almost accusing him of attempted murder in a way.
That was what he's like, You are responsible for their
feelings of suicide. And so then he went on to
(15:38):
say the court is not assured that if released, these
crimes will not be committed again. That one was a doozy.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You said it earlier, and it's weird to say this
about this particular judge on brand. This dude has been consistent,
isn't that all You really want to be treated You
want to be treated fairly, but you want a guy
to be consistent. And he has been consistent because they
have been asking and asking and asking since this trial
started in beforehand. Please let did he go home. We'll
do anything you want, give any money, you want, any ankle, monitoring,
(16:10):
any security. Just let him go home. And every turn
the judge said, nope, I am not convinced this dude
ain't a threat.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
He also, this was really powerful when the judge rejected
the idea that Diddy was a casual consumer of prostitution services.
You know, they were trying to say that he was
an amateur, a John or an amateur porn producer, whatever
they were trying to say. But the judge said this,
you were no John. You were more than that. Even
(16:40):
if your currency was satisfying your sexual desires instead of money.
That hit because that was the big argument with the defense.
He didn't profit from this. He didn't earn money from
from putting his girlfriends out or having some sort of process.
There was no there was no financial gain from him
for him, and so the judge said, your currency was
(17:03):
satisfying your sexual desires. And honestly, that did ring true.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
And this is all star starting to pile up. We
were sitting and watching we just we had and we
wanted to say thank you to CBS, to CNN, to
New York Times, Post, New York Times, at the NBC News.
We had all five of y'all's live feeds up and
we were depending on those reporters to give us infos
that we want to say thank you to you all,
and we're passing this stuff along. But as we were
(17:31):
keeping up robes, the judge like are We were like,
holy hell, he is about to really throw the book
at this guy. But then he took moments and what
he was saying to acknowledge that Diddy is influential, that
he is iconic, that he has been good to the community.
So this is where it turned, and we thought, oh,
(17:53):
maybe he's balancing this thing out, Maybe it won't be
so bad.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
He acknowledged that it was impressive what he had been
able to accomplish in the fact that his father had
died in early violent death and the trauma that must
have been left, So he was acknowledging what did he
had been through as a child. But then he said
his sentence was going to send a message to abusers
and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is
(18:19):
met with real accountability. We were up and down, like
he's gonna go No, he's gonna go hard. Well, maybe
he's gonna give him a break. Oh my god, No,
he's gonna throw the We were back and forth because
the judge really did cover so many different bases when
he was leading up to the sentencing.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I think a lot of people might have applauded that sentence.
You're making that sentence, and that sentiment like, I actually
do need to send a message legally speaking? Is that
a part of I mean, the judge had discretion in
what he could do. He knew the guidelines, but he,
for whatever reason, thought it was important to say that.
(18:54):
I know, he acknowledged that everybody's watching this and think
that these victims have not been heard, that haven't been respected.
And he added that line, I think to cover a
lot of basis.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
He did so. Yes, he sentenced Sean Comes to fifty months.
He imposed a fine of half a million dollars. But
then I actually really loved what this judge did next.
First he addressed Cassie Ventura, and he says, and the
other brave survivors that came forward, I want to say, first,
we heard you. I thought that was pretty cool, he said,
(19:29):
I am proud of you for coming to the court
to tell the world what really happened. You weren't just
speaking to the twelve folks in the jury box. You
were speaking to the millions of women out there who
have been victims, but who feel invisible and powerless and
have had to suffer in silence. You gave them a voice.
You stood up to power. It's not easy. You told
(19:49):
those women in the world that violence behind closed doors
doesn't have to stay hidden forever. The number of people
who you reached is incalculable. There are millions of survivors
out there. Most of those people will never speak up
about their abuse. The consequences are often tragic, as they
were in this case. I know you still bear the
trauma of what happened to you. You likely always will.
(20:11):
But what you've taught us here by coming forward is
that even if you were a victim, you don't always
have to be. That gave me chills.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
He didn't have to say that. That was powerful. He
gets it. He didn't have to say that. He chose
to say that. To say those words, and not just
to the women in this case, he sent that message
to the women of this country.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
And as kind as he was to them, and as
reassuring he was to the people out there who are victims,
he also then softened his tone towards Ditty next, and
I thought that was also pretty cool for him to
be able to strike that balance between both the victims
and then Ditty himself. And he told Diddy, there is
(20:56):
light at the end of this tunnel. You and your
family will get through this. I thought that was a
cool thing to say, as well, knowing and noting that
Diddy was visibly disappointed and visibly upset about what had happened.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Tough day for that family, and just an awful, I
mean awful couple of decades of experiences around Sean Dittycomb's
someone who, yes, I have looked up to since I
was in high school, and to be sitting here reporting
about this, I think none of us expected anything like this.
(21:32):
But it is a tragedy all around. Yeah, it's a tragedy.
We talked about this with the story with the raising
money for the family of the shooter, and right there
are victims all around, including a two year old baby
whose daddy is going to who has been who's going
to end up in prison more than she's been alive
correct by the time he gets out. Right, So there
(21:54):
are victims all around. This is just a sad, awful
story for everybody. Who do you feel sorry for? You're
not supposed to have sympathy for him, but this isn't
This is another I'm thinking about all these stories and
downfalls of powerful people. We've learned so much and I
don't know what we're gonna get from this later, but Robes,
(22:14):
I have had some conversations here on the podcast with
you about this story. I've had very I've had private
conversations with you about this, but there there are important conversations,
and I don't know what we're going to do and
what people are going to do with this because it
was all jokes about baby oil and whatnot. This is
(22:35):
such an important story and experience that we have all
just done. We've witnessed, I mean, Cassie, the victims we
went through, who is really a victim? Like, what do
we learn now that we can now apply to the
next story and the next victim and the next person
who speaks out? What can the next powerful man learn
(22:56):
about this type of thing? And you shouldn't have to
learn from this, You shouldn't do this type of behavior.
But I'm saying this is just I'm kind of glad
it's over, but I am hopeful but also nervous about
the lessons that we're going to learn from.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
It's funny you just said that because I loved the
judge's last line, because it was hopeful and it was
about lessons. He said directly to Diddy, you will have
a chance to show your children and the world what
real accountability, change and healing can look like. Court is adjourned.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Man it just doesn't have to start today with you
being home.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
And maybe it shouldn't.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
What a story, what a life? What an experience? What
an extraordinary individual? What a downfall? We say, now Rose,
But the story isn't over. Is there a contribution shown
Ditty Combs can make to the community moving forward? The
answer is yes, it actually is. Yeah, whatever he decides
(24:04):
to do. But in the interim, in the short term,
one of the most iconic individuals to ever participate in
hip hop is gone. It's over, it's done. That part
of his life is over. What's the next part? Is
it going to be a contribution?
Speaker 2 (24:22):
It could be a beautiful second half of his life.
It could be he's fifty five, he'll be out when
he's fifty seven to fifty eight. He has potentially another
four decades to do good in the world and to
be the man that he says he wants to be
that he's becoming through all of this, and we're rooting
(24:44):
for him.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah, and the probably people hear that and go, wait
a minute, no, this is a human story. Cassie moves
her family out of New York for fear of this guy.
You got Jane, you got Mia, We've heard these horrific stories.
Their lives go now rope. Do they feel a sense
of relief or are they freaking out encircling the calendar
of when he's going to get out because they're still worried? Right,
(25:08):
lives were forever changed by this. Look our lives. I
could not believe we're sitting here. Our whole day has been.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
This, Yes, but I have I feel like I've been
on a roller coaster. I know you have too, But
I do feel like these are the moments where we
can make a decision to learn from all of this,
to learn from others' mistakes, to reflect within, to think
about the things we've done that we're not proud of,
and just choose to do better and be better. We're
(25:39):
going to fall down, but I do think that I
believe in redemption. I do believe in rehabilitation. I don't
think anyone is a lost cause. Very few people there
are some, of course, But I do choose to believe
that there could be good that comes out of this.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Well, folks, it has been a hell of a ride,
but there you are. Sean Diddy Combs has been sentenced
to fifty months in prison. That's four years and two months.
He has served about thirteen fourteen months already, so he'll
get credit for that time served, so that means about
three years he is expected to still be in prison.
This has been a at times, robes those day and
(26:18):
day outs of the listenings of the trial was hard
to stomach.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
It was it was, but we got through it, and
I do think we're all the wiser for it. And
I do think that those women, those very strong women,
that is not easy to do what Cassie did, to
do what Jane did, to do what the other victims did,
and under that kind of scrutiny, with that kind of pressure,
(26:44):
with the world watching about a man that a lot
of people love, admire, respect and don't want to believe
the worst of like that is a very tough position
to be in. And I applaud them, and I hope
that it doesn't deter anyone else who's the victim of
abuse to come forward, because I do feel like today's
verdict was a victory in believing people when they talk
(27:12):
about what they've been through and they have the courage
to speak up and to speak out, And so I
do think that we did gain a lot throughout this,
even though, it was a very difficult road to travel.
So with that, thank you for listening to us. Everyone
I made me Roeboch alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to
you soon.
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