He’s all alone to face the music.
Less than two months before Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces a jury in New York federal court, the disgraced Bad Boy mogul remains iced out by most of his Hollywood friends.
Except for one.
In the latest episode of DailyMail.com’s podcast The Trial of Diddy, legal analyst Lou Shapiro said Combs’ alliance with troubled Kanye West shows how isolated the Bad Boy rapper has become.
West, who has been criticized for making racially-charged comments and wearing swastika merch, recorded a recent jail call with Combs, who remains locked up in at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Diddy, 55, could be heard showering Kanye West, 47, with praise in a leaked conversation between them jail following the release of their controversial song (seen in 2016)
The leaked jail call between Combs and Kanye was reportedly recorded without Combs’ knowledge. Combs is heard telling West, ‘We gonna have years and decades to fight these motherf*****s. Right now, enjoy your life.’
The leaked jail phone call between the two — where Combs encourages West to get back to recording and ‘tear down’ stadiums — more than likely won’t be used as evidence in Combs’ upcoming criminal trial, Shapiro said.
However, the interaction could negatively impact the Bad Boy rapper.
‘Diddy and Kanye speaking won’t have any effect in the trial itself since only acts or evidence that took place during the incidents will come into play,’ Shapiro told DailyMail.com.
‘But it does show you a moreover how Hollywood is really not behind Diddy because if Kanye is the one that he’s sort of resorting to speak with, it shows you much that he’s pretty much on his own at this point, and all he’s got is Kanye in his corner.’
Combs’ other A-List friends, including Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter, have distanced themselves from Combs since he was arrested and indicted on human trafficking and racketeering charges.
Carter, 55, has further distanced himself from his former collaborator after the ‘Hard Knock Life’ rapper and Combs were hit with rape allegations filed by a woman who claimed she was 13-years-old when she was assaulted.
Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter (L-R) attended Combs’ 50th Birthday Bash sponsored by Ciroc Vodka on Dec. 4, 2019 in LA. Many of Combs Hollywood pals have distanced themselves from the Bad Boy rapper, except for West
Alex Spiro, Carter’s attorney, has said his client ‘doesn’t know anything’ about the allegations and claimed the two did not share ‘a closer association’ other than their professional relationship.
‘Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs’ case or Mr. Combs,’ the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP lawyer has said. ‘They knew each other professionally for a number of years, just like in all professions, people know each other.’
Spiro added, ‘There is no closer association between any of them, that’s also a matter of fiction. That’s all that there is. He doesn’t know anything about the charges or allegations against him. He has nothing to do with that case. And there’s nothing more to say.’
One of Combs’ closest confidantes, former Combs Enterprises chief of staff Kristina Khorram, broke her silence this week and has also turned her back from her former employer and friend.
Like Carter, Khorram also was pulled into at least three civil lawsuits that were also filed against Combs, who once called Khorram his ‘right hand’.
Kristina Khorram, one of Diddy’s closest advisors, has denied any knowledge and participation in alleged sexual assaults involving her former boss
Khorram, 37, released a statement to Rolling Stone denying any knowledge or participation related to the sexual allegations against her and her former boss.
‘These false allegations of my involvement are causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional well-being of myself and my family,’ she said. ‘I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone. Nor have I ever drugged anyone.
She continued: ‘The idea that I could be accused of playing a role in — or even being a bystander to — the rape of anyone is beyond upsetting, disturbing, and unthinkable.
‘That is not who I am and my heart goes out to all victims of sexual assault. I am confident that the allegations against me will be proven to be untrue.’
In Combs’ criminal case, federal prosecutors allege the rapper trafficked three women — as well as professional sex workers — across state lines.
Combs has vehemently denied all allegations against him.
‘No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor,’ his attorneys said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
‘We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason. Mr. Combs remains confident he will prevail in court.’
Shapiro said the judge could decide to keep the court closed to the public when the alleged victims testify.
While none of the alleged victims were named in the superseding indictment, one of them is reportedly Combs’ former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Cassie Ventura is expected to be a key witness in Sean Combs’ criminal case. The singer settled a civil lawsuit against Diddy shortly before he was arrested and indicted on criminal charges
Shapiro said the viral 2016 surveillance video from a Los Angeles hotel released last year by CNN of Combs screaming and dragging Ventura by her hair could be a pivotal evidence in the case.
‘We haven’t seen the actual evidence in the case, but we did see that video regarding Cassie and that is, is so offensive and disturbing,’ Shapiro said. ‘I don’t know how one can get around that. So that’s the main piece of evidence that we know is out there and it’s going to be tough to get around.
‘The only way to address that overall, is Diddy said this is going to be about consent. So we can expect a large part of the argument by the defense will be, “Where were these three accusers 10 years ago or five years ago? Why are they all coming out of the woodwork?”
Shapiro continued: ‘Now, these were not children. These are adults … and then I guess the encounter that they thought were going to have turned into something else.
‘It’s going to come down to a real “He said, she said” case. We can expect that Diddy’s counsel will be putting up some serious, ferocious and fearsome cross-examination because that’s the only hope of trying to get Diddy out of this situation.’
