October 28, 2025 • 12 mins
On today’s episode, Variety reporter Ethan Shanfeld discusses the unusual place in pop culture that Sean "Diddy" Combs now occupies and what may await him upon his release from prison in May 2028. And Variety's Marc Malkin has fun with Hilary Duff in a Red Carpet Rundown.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Tuesday, October twenty eighth,
twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am
co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm
in LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters
around the world covering the business of entertainment. In today's episode,
(00:31):
we'll hear from Variety reporter Ethan Seanfhelp on the latest
surrounding Sean Diddy cones now that it's been confirmed he
will be released from prison in May twenty twenty eight,
and Mark Malcolm gives us a Just for Variety red
carpet rundown with Hillary Duff. But before we get to that,
here are a few headlines just in this morning that
you need to know. Eighteen innings. This episode is out
(00:54):
late today because I was up so late last night
cheering on the Dodgers as they fought their way through
Game three of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
After an epic game, the Blue Crew won it with
a walkoff homer from Freddie Freeman. Doesn't get better than that, show.
Hey Otani also hit a homer at a key moment
earlier in the game, and you could hear all of
(01:16):
Los Angeles screaming. The Gotham Award nominations are in one
battle after another. Is the Big Favorite grabbing six nominations.
The Gotham Awards are the cap gun going off on
Winter Awards season, and they will be handed out in
New York on December First. Doctor Who is back in
the market for a global distribution partner. The BBC and
(01:38):
Disney have parted ways after working together on two seasons
of the Enduring British fantasy franchise. My colleague Alise Schafer
has the scoop. All of these stories and so much
more can be found on Variety dot com. Right now.
Now we turn to conversations with Friday journalists about new
(02:00):
and trends in show business. We'll hear from Ethan Schonfeld
on the latest for Shan Ditty Combs. Ethan spent three
months of his life covering Combs's federal trial on sex
trafficking and prostitution charges. Combs was convicted on prostitution related
counts in July and sentenced to a little more than
four years in prison. Ethan takes a moment to reflect
(02:22):
on the impact of that trial. Now that he's had
the distance of a few months, Ethan contemplates what might
await Combs in two and a half years when he's released,
barring any surprises with his incarceration. Ethan Shanfield, thanks for
joining me.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Thanks for having me. Cynthia, appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Making time here because we got a little bit of
an echo of a story that you covered intensely Soup
to Nuts earlier this year, the trial of Sean Ditty Combs,
and today we got a small bulletin from the Federal
Bureau of Prisons that all things being equal, he should
be released in May of twenty twenty eight. I want
to ask you, now that it's been a couple months,
(02:59):
what is Diddy's place in pop culture, particularly with your generation.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I think that the public opinion on him shifted a
little bit during the trial, certainly inside and out of
the courthouse where a lot of his fans started gathering.
I think that he will always be at radioactive after
this trial, because not only because of what he was
convicted of, which is transportation of prostitutes essentially, but also
(03:25):
because of the things that he was accused of and
the things that came out in evidence. I mean, we
saw videos of him beating Cassie Ventura, We heard stories
of sexual abuse and emotional abuse, all those sorts of things.
I don't think that Diddy will be playing Coachella anytime soon.
That being said, I do think that he has enough
of a fan base, and he built up such a
(03:48):
career before this scandal that if he wanted to, say,
play Madison Square Garden, I think he could. I think
if he wanted to do something in music or entertainment,
if he wanted to have a behind the scenes role,
maybe at a record label or as a consultant helping
shape the careers of artists behind the scenes, I think
that is a possibility. I interviewed his lead counsel, Mark
(04:09):
Agnifilow back in August, and they've really been saying that
he wants to just get out of prison and spend
time with his family, and that any career in music
or entertainment is sort of way down the line. But
you know, he'll be out before he turns sixty, and
he has a whole chapter of his life and career
ahead of him.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Of course, there's also been some discussion in the last
couple of months. Will President Trump find his way to
pardoning or offering some clemency to Ditty? What do you
know from reporting on this in terms of the level
of lobbying by Sean Combs's team. Is there any chance
that we will see President Trump take some step to
(04:50):
lessen the impact on Ditty.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I've spoken to his legal team and they've confirmed that
they have been in contact with the administration about a
potential pardon, but they've also made it clear that that's
not sort of a pillar of their legal strategy. I
think it would be very surprising if Trump pardoned him.
I don't see a benefit there for Trump, and Trump
tends to grant clemency to people who have sort of
(05:13):
pledged their allegiance to Trump. And while Ditty's tune might
have changed while he's been behind bars, you know, Didty
was not a Trump supporter beforehand, and Trump himself has
made that clear in interviews with the press that being said,
with Trump, anything can happen at any time. We know
that Combs's legal team has already filed an appeal to
the sentencing. They filed various appeals over the last few months,
(05:37):
the judge has pretty much swatted down all of them.
The sentencing is something that I think his team is
somewhat happy with, considering that the sort of seriousness of
the charge. The judge said at the sentencing hearing, he
has to take into account all of the things that
he's heard about. Even though the sentencing is not on
the charges that he was acquitted of, there are still
(05:57):
things such as the video of him beating Cassie Ventura,
that are relevant when it comes to sentencing, such as
whether he's a danger to other people. And Cassie sent
a letter to the judge essentially saying the same thing,
that she's scared of potential repercussions.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Let me close by asking you Ethan. I know you're
not a lawyer. I know you've read a lot of
commentary about the entirety of the case and the legal ramifications.
With the benefit of hindsight, do you think that the
prosecutors fundamentally overreached? Have you come to any conclusions on
the merits of the case and the way it was
(06:33):
executed from the prosecution side.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
So I definitely feel that a potential mistake on half
of the prosecution was not charging him with domestic violence.
There was so much evidence of domestic violence, and there
could have been a case there in California and potentially
New York as well that would have likely landed him
behind bars for several years. But because that was not
something he was directly charged with, it allowed the defense
(06:58):
to admit it. You know, he was a domestic abuser.
He did beat his girlfriends. It was something that they
called out as disgusting and disturbing, but they were able
to use that strategy having sat through the trial every day.
The case might have been more strong if it focused
just on Cassie. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback.
(07:20):
But there were two alleged victims at the center of
this case, and it was Cassie and then a pseudonymous
a victim named Jane. And I think that the general
feeling was that the case as it pertained to Cassie
was much stronger than Jane. But I was not in
the deliberation room. I was not part of the jury,
so I don't know if these were the sorts of
things they were talking about, but I would not be
(07:41):
surprised if the murkiness of the Jane side might have
bled into their feelings about the sex trafficking charges in general.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Interesting. Well, Ethan, as I said, you are not a lawyer,
but you are as of today, nominated for Online Journalists
of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club at
their National Arts and Entertainment Awards. No one is more
deserving of this nomination and I am going to be
rooting for you with everything we have. Your work on
(08:10):
the Diddy trial that definitely distinguished you and certainly helped
you get that nomination. So congrats to you. Thanks for
doing the hard work and pounding the pavement.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Thanks Cynthia.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Next up, we have a Variety Red carpet rundown with
the hardest working guy on the red carpet, Variety's Mark Malcolm.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Thanks Cynthia. After more than a decade since her last
studio album, Hillary Duff is getting ready to put out
new music. I caught up with the singer actress on
Sunday night here in Los Angeles at Vogue World Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
We're getting something really soon.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, yeah, a full album single. What's your plan? The
fans need to know.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
I have been part at work in the studio with
my husband Ji and a few other amazingly talented people
and like they're going to hear something so silling, like
in the blink of an eye.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Duff, who released her fifth studio album, Breathe In, Breathe
Out in June twenty fifteen, said she had always planned
on getting back into the studio.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
I always knew I was going to return to music,
and I just needed to feel safe, and I just
needed to have the right people in my corner and
you know, be be like absolutely one percent ready. I
needed ten years of life under my belt. Honestly, I
needed like a lot to say, and this album feels
like the inner workings of my brain. And I really
(09:41):
am so excited to like connect with people again on
that level, that like very forward.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Amazing level.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
In September, it was announced that Duff had signed with
Atlantic Records. At the same time, she revealed that she
was filming a docuseries about her music, comeback and her
personal life.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
All of the things are happening, and I can't give
up too much informature where everyone gonna kill me, but
I am chancing and everything's in Moschez.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
For more of my interview with Duff, check out my
column Just for Variety at Variety Dot com.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
As we close out today's episode, here's a few things
we're watching for. Actually, there's really only one thing on
my radar, and that is Variety's Power of Women event
in Beverly Hills tomorrow night, October twenty ninth. We're looking
forward to celebrating five great stars and dozens of senior
female leaders in the entertainment industry. And on that note,
(10:35):
some important news came from Variety this morning. Michelle Sabrino Stearns,
Variety's longtime leader, CEO and publisher, is stepping down after
twenty eight years with our storied company. Michelle is making
a big career shift. She's about to become a founder
of a startup fashion brand. This is a huge milestone
(10:57):
for Variety. Michelle's legacy is incredible and it includes the
Power of Women event that we are hosting on Wednesday.
I have to express my gratitude because Michelle has been
an amazing friend and supporter of me personally. With Michelle's departure,
Dea Lawrence is stepping up from Chief Operating and Marketing
Officer to co president and publisher. My partner in journalism,
(11:22):
Ramin Situta, will take on a co president role In
addition to remaining co EIC with me, Raemen will work
with DEA to further grow varieties, reach and influence. We
are all so lucky to lead this Sui Jennaris Institution
of Journalism and Hollywood Before we go, Congrats to Amanda Cruz.
(11:42):
She has been named Head of Business Development for Blumhouse Games.
She joins the company from Devolver Digital and before that
she worked for Lionsgates Games Division. Thanks for listening. This
episode was written and reported by me Cynthia Lyttleton, with
contributions from Ethan Shanfeld. Stick Snicks hick Picks. Please leave
(12:02):
us a review at the podcast platform of your choice,
and please tune in tomorrow for another episode of Daily
Variety and most definitely Go Dodgers
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Tuesday, October twenty eighth,
twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am
co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm
in LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters
around the world covering the business of entertainment. In today's episode,
(00:31):
we'll hear from Variety reporter Ethan Seanfhelp on the latest
surrounding Sean Diddy cones now that it's been confirmed he
will be released from prison in May twenty twenty eight,
and Mark Malcolm gives us a Just for Variety red
carpet rundown with Hillary Duff. But before we get to that,
here are a few headlines just in this morning that
you need to know. Eighteen innings. This episode is out
(00:54):
late today because I was up so late last night
cheering on the Dodgers as they fought their way through
Game three of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
After an epic game, the Blue Crew won it with
a walkoff homer from Freddie Freeman. Doesn't get better than that, show.
Hey Otani also hit a homer at a key moment
earlier in the game, and you could hear all of
(01:16):
Los Angeles screaming. The Gotham Award nominations are in one
battle after another. Is the Big Favorite grabbing six nominations.
The Gotham Awards are the cap gun going off on
Winter Awards season, and they will be handed out in
New York on December First. Doctor Who is back in
the market for a global distribution partner. The BBC and
(01:38):
Disney have parted ways after working together on two seasons
of the Enduring British fantasy franchise. My colleague Alise Schafer
has the scoop. All of these stories and so much
more can be found on Variety dot com. Right now.
Now we turn to conversations with Friday journalists about new
(02:00):
and trends in show business. We'll hear from Ethan Schonfeld
on the latest for Shan Ditty Combs. Ethan spent three
months of his life covering Combs's federal trial on sex
trafficking and prostitution charges. Combs was convicted on prostitution related
counts in July and sentenced to a little more than
four years in prison. Ethan takes a moment to reflect
(02:22):
on the impact of that trial. Now that he's had
the distance of a few months, Ethan contemplates what might
await Combs in two and a half years when he's released,
barring any surprises with his incarceration. Ethan Shanfield, thanks for
joining me.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Thanks for having me. Cynthia, appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Making time here because we got a little bit of
an echo of a story that you covered intensely Soup
to Nuts earlier this year, the trial of Sean Ditty Combs,
and today we got a small bulletin from the Federal
Bureau of Prisons that all things being equal, he should
be released in May of twenty twenty eight. I want
to ask you, now that it's been a couple months,
(02:59):
what is Diddy's place in pop culture, particularly with your generation.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I think that the public opinion on him shifted a
little bit during the trial, certainly inside and out of
the courthouse where a lot of his fans started gathering.
I think that he will always be at radioactive after
this trial, because not only because of what he was
convicted of, which is transportation of prostitutes essentially, but also
(03:25):
because of the things that he was accused of and
the things that came out in evidence. I mean, we
saw videos of him beating Cassie Ventura, We heard stories
of sexual abuse and emotional abuse, all those sorts of things.
I don't think that Diddy will be playing Coachella anytime soon.
That being said, I do think that he has enough
of a fan base, and he built up such a
(03:48):
career before this scandal that if he wanted to, say,
play Madison Square Garden, I think he could. I think
if he wanted to do something in music or entertainment,
if he wanted to have a behind the scenes role,
maybe at a record label or as a consultant helping
shape the careers of artists behind the scenes, I think
that is a possibility. I interviewed his lead counsel, Mark
(04:09):
Agnifilow back in August, and they've really been saying that
he wants to just get out of prison and spend
time with his family, and that any career in music
or entertainment is sort of way down the line. But
you know, he'll be out before he turns sixty, and
he has a whole chapter of his life and career
ahead of him.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Of course, there's also been some discussion in the last
couple of months. Will President Trump find his way to
pardoning or offering some clemency to Ditty? What do you
know from reporting on this in terms of the level
of lobbying by Sean Combs's team. Is there any chance
that we will see President Trump take some step to
(04:50):
lessen the impact on Ditty.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I've spoken to his legal team and they've confirmed that
they have been in contact with the administration about a
potential pardon, but they've also made it clear that that's
not sort of a pillar of their legal strategy. I
think it would be very surprising if Trump pardoned him.
I don't see a benefit there for Trump, and Trump
tends to grant clemency to people who have sort of
(05:13):
pledged their allegiance to Trump. And while Ditty's tune might
have changed while he's been behind bars, you know, Didty
was not a Trump supporter beforehand, and Trump himself has
made that clear in interviews with the press that being said,
with Trump, anything can happen at any time. We know
that Combs's legal team has already filed an appeal to
the sentencing. They filed various appeals over the last few months,
(05:37):
the judge has pretty much swatted down all of them.
The sentencing is something that I think his team is
somewhat happy with, considering that the sort of seriousness of
the charge. The judge said at the sentencing hearing, he
has to take into account all of the things that
he's heard about. Even though the sentencing is not on
the charges that he was acquitted of, there are still
(05:57):
things such as the video of him beating Cassie Ventura,
that are relevant when it comes to sentencing, such as
whether he's a danger to other people. And Cassie sent
a letter to the judge essentially saying the same thing,
that she's scared of potential repercussions.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Let me close by asking you Ethan. I know you're
not a lawyer. I know you've read a lot of
commentary about the entirety of the case and the legal ramifications.
With the benefit of hindsight, do you think that the
prosecutors fundamentally overreached? Have you come to any conclusions on
the merits of the case and the way it was
(06:33):
executed from the prosecution side.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
So I definitely feel that a potential mistake on half
of the prosecution was not charging him with domestic violence.
There was so much evidence of domestic violence, and there
could have been a case there in California and potentially
New York as well that would have likely landed him
behind bars for several years. But because that was not
something he was directly charged with, it allowed the defense
(06:58):
to admit it. You know, he was a domestic abuser.
He did beat his girlfriends. It was something that they
called out as disgusting and disturbing, but they were able
to use that strategy having sat through the trial every day.
The case might have been more strong if it focused
just on Cassie. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback.
(07:20):
But there were two alleged victims at the center of
this case, and it was Cassie and then a pseudonymous
a victim named Jane. And I think that the general
feeling was that the case as it pertained to Cassie
was much stronger than Jane. But I was not in
the deliberation room. I was not part of the jury,
so I don't know if these were the sorts of
things they were talking about, but I would not be
(07:41):
surprised if the murkiness of the Jane side might have
bled into their feelings about the sex trafficking charges in general.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Interesting. Well, Ethan, as I said, you are not a lawyer,
but you are as of today, nominated for Online Journalists
of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club at
their National Arts and Entertainment Awards. No one is more
deserving of this nomination and I am going to be
rooting for you with everything we have. Your work on
(08:10):
the Diddy trial that definitely distinguished you and certainly helped
you get that nomination. So congrats to you. Thanks for
doing the hard work and pounding the pavement.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Thanks Cynthia.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Next up, we have a Variety Red carpet rundown with
the hardest working guy on the red carpet, Variety's Mark Malcolm.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Thanks Cynthia. After more than a decade since her last
studio album, Hillary Duff is getting ready to put out
new music. I caught up with the singer actress on
Sunday night here in Los Angeles at Vogue World Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
We're getting something really soon.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, yeah, a full album single. What's your plan? The
fans need to know.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
I have been part at work in the studio with
my husband Ji and a few other amazingly talented people
and like they're going to hear something so silling, like
in the blink of an eye.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Duff, who released her fifth studio album, Breathe In, Breathe
Out in June twenty fifteen, said she had always planned
on getting back into the studio.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
I always knew I was going to return to music,
and I just needed to feel safe, and I just
needed to have the right people in my corner and
you know, be be like absolutely one percent ready. I
needed ten years of life under my belt. Honestly, I
needed like a lot to say, and this album feels
like the inner workings of my brain. And I really
(09:41):
am so excited to like connect with people again on
that level, that like very forward.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Amazing level.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
In September, it was announced that Duff had signed with
Atlantic Records. At the same time, she revealed that she
was filming a docuseries about her music, comeback and her
personal life.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
All of the things are happening, and I can't give
up too much informature where everyone gonna kill me, but
I am chancing and everything's in Moschez.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
For more of my interview with Duff, check out my
column Just for Variety at Variety Dot com.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
As we close out today's episode, here's a few things
we're watching for. Actually, there's really only one thing on
my radar, and that is Variety's Power of Women event
in Beverly Hills tomorrow night, October twenty ninth. We're looking
forward to celebrating five great stars and dozens of senior
female leaders in the entertainment industry. And on that note,
(10:35):
some important news came from Variety this morning. Michelle Sabrino Stearns,
Variety's longtime leader, CEO and publisher, is stepping down after
twenty eight years with our storied company. Michelle is making
a big career shift. She's about to become a founder
of a startup fashion brand. This is a huge milestone
(10:57):
for Variety. Michelle's legacy is incredible and it includes the
Power of Women event that we are hosting on Wednesday.
I have to express my gratitude because Michelle has been
an amazing friend and supporter of me personally. With Michelle's departure,
Dea Lawrence is stepping up from Chief Operating and Marketing
Officer to co president and publisher. My partner in journalism,
(11:22):
Ramin Situta, will take on a co president role In
addition to remaining co EIC with me, Raemen will work
with DEA to further grow varieties, reach and influence. We
are all so lucky to lead this Sui Jennaris Institution
of Journalism and Hollywood Before we go, Congrats to Amanda Cruz.
(11:42):
She has been named Head of Business Development for Blumhouse Games.
She joins the company from Devolver Digital and before that
she worked for Lionsgates Games Division. Thanks for listening. This
episode was written and reported by me Cynthia Lyttleton, with
contributions from Ethan Shanfeld. Stick Snicks hick Picks. Please leave
(12:02):
us a review at the podcast platform of your choice,
and please tune in tomorrow for another episode of Daily
Variety and most definitely Go Dodgers
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