Diddy Trial Jury Selection: Kanye, Michael B. Jordan, 'Lord of the Rings,' and More Mentioned

The opening day of jury selection in Diddy’s federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial on Monday gave hints of some big names that may be mentioned during the case, and also opened up a surprising connection to his past.

Judge Arun Subramanian took charge during the day-long process, which sorted through over two dozen prospective jurors. One of the most notable areas of questioning concerned a long list of prominent people and places that may come up during the trial. The entire list — which consists of hundreds of names of people, places, and businesses — was not public as of this writing, but the judge commented early in the day on its extreme length.

“I felt like I was reading an appendix from Lord of the Rings,” Judge Subramanian said of the list.

Among the names mentioned on Monday as having the potential to pop up during the case were some of Diddy’s children, as well as people who have been connected to the charges against him, like Cassie Ventura (who will be testifying) and Kid Cudi (whose car Diddy is accused of blowing up).

Others with professional connections to Diddy, like former Bad Boy executive Harve Pierre and former Danity Kane members Aubrey O’Day and Dawn Richard, were mentioned as well. Richard’s lawyer in her civil suit against Diddy, Lisa Bloom, who the mogul’s legal team has recently criticized, was spotted observing the proceedings from an overflow courtroom.

A number of other celebrities, whose connection to Diddy and the case was unclear, were also on the lengthy list. Among them were Michael B. Jordan (who one potential juror mixed up with the similarly-named basketball legend, to the amusement of the overflow gallery), comedian Mike Myers, D’Angelo, Kanye West, Dallas Austin, choreographer Laurieann Gibson (who made a complaint to police about Diddy back in 2007), Lauren London, and former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams.

According to Rolling Stone, Jordan won't be called as a witness in the trial. His name was brought up due to the actor being mentioned in Cassie's 2023 lawsuit against Diddy. While Jordan's name isn't included in the suit, Rolling Stone reports that they were able to confirm that the Creed actor was the person being referenced. The lawsuit alleged, according to RS, that Diddy became angry and threatened Jordan after finding out that he and Cassie “began a flirtatious relationship.”

Among the non-humans on the list were beverage giant Diageo (which had a long relationship with Diddy that ended early last year after an acrimonious legal battle), the Essex House Hotel, and the Peninsula Hotel.

Diddy received a flashback to his distant past when one prospective juror revealed that his wife played a role in an infamous event in the Bad Boy founder’s early career. The man explained that his wife had, decades ago, been an attorney in a case centering around a 1991 charity basketball game at the City College of New York that Diddy (then “Puff Daddy”) helped to organize and promote alongside Heavy D. At the event, the crowd became unruly and a stampede occurred. Nine people died as a result. The woman represented the company that provided City College’s security guards.

The prospective juror explained that during the course of working on the long-ago case, his wife had developed “a negative opinion” about Diddy. When she found out through a friend that her husband might be on the jury of the mogul’s current case, she told him about her feelings.

“She found his behavior disturbing. She does not like him,” the man said.

Diddy’s lead attorney Marc Agnifilo petitioned — successfully — for the man to be dismissed from the jury.

One other potential juror with a Diddy connection was dismissed. A top marketing executive at publishing company Simon & Schuster explained that, as part of her job, she viewed the press release for singer Al B. Sure!’s upcoming memoir Do You Believe Me Now? which the company is publishing in September. The book, she explained, contains “accusations” against Diddy.

Diddy’s lawyers read parts of that press release to the court. It discusses Al B. Sure!’s “shocking ties” to the Bad Boy founder (both have children with the late Kim Porter) and mentions “alleged gang stalking, surveillance, death threats, human trafficking, gaslighting, and psychological warfare” — though it does not directly attribute those to Diddy.

Jury selection continues on Tuesday. Opening arguments in the case are scheduled to begin on May 12.