Diddy’s mom Janice Combs made a bold entrance at her son’s sex-trafficking trial on Thursday.
The former model and teacher’s assistant, 84, who recently defended Diddy against over 100 sexual misconduct allegations, opted for a daring yet perhaps overly casual ensemble for such a significant occasion at the lower Manhattan courthouse.
She rocked a form-fitting white mini dress, black fishnet stockings, and a tiger-print fur jacket, while holding onto a supporter’s arm.
Despite being heckled by critics — one man shouted, ‘Janice, your son is a predator and deserves to be locked up’ — the matriarch remained composed and unfazed by the commotion.
The embattled rapper’s daughters, 17-year-old twins Jessie James and D’Lila Star, arrived shortly before the hearing, accompanied by their older brothers Quincy, 33, Justin, 30, and Christian, 26.
The former model and teacher’s assistant, 84, who recently defended Diddy against over 100 sexual misconduct allegations , opted for a daring yet perhaps overly casual ensemble for such a significant occasion at the lower Manhattan courthouse
Since his indictment on sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution charges, Diddy has been held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after two failed bail requests.
At the hearing, he appeared stoic in a tan prison uniform, staring straight ahead.
He briefly waved to his family before hugging his legal team.
The judge set his trial date for next May, with prosecutors hinting at additional charges to come.
On Sunday, Janice issued a statement in her son’s defense amid his sex trafficking indictment and more than 100 sexual misconduct allegations against him.
‘I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs,’ she told Dailymail.com in a statement through her lawyer Natlie G. Figgers.
‘It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies.
‘To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.’
Janice – who was hospitalized this past summer , acknowledged that Diddy hadn’t been truthful about his violent altercation with Cassie Ventura
Janice – who was hospitalized this past summer, acknowledged that Diddy hadn’t been truthful about his violent altercation with Cassie Ventura.
The incident, captured on a Los Angeles hotel surveillance camera in March 2016, resurfaced publicly earlier this year.
Janice expressed concern that by swiftly settling Cassie’s lawsuit last year—just a day after it was filed—Diddy may have made himself vulnerable to further lawsuits from others seeking financial compensation.
‘I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not,’ Janice said. ‘He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have. My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise.
‘Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed.’
Janice said those factors were decisive in the Grammy Award-winning artist, 54, settling the suit with Cassie last year.
‘This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt,’ she said.
Janice said that the clip of Diddy’s violent 2016 beating of Cassie going public in May triggered a feeding frenzy of dishonest opportunists seeking to pile on her embattled son for monetary gain.