Sean Diddy Combs in May 2022.Credit :
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs‘ trial began with potential jurors being asked about several famous names on Monday, May 5.
Combs is set to go on trial after being charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution following his arrest in September 2024.
During jury selection, potential jurors were questioned about their knowledge of celebrities like Kanye West, Michael B. Jordan, Mike Myers and Kid Cudi.
Actress Lauren London, songwriter/producer Dallas Austin, producer Harve Pierre, choreographer/director Laurieann Gibson and singers Dawn Richard and Michelle Williams were also mentioned, along with Combs’ former girlfriend and singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.
Richard is a former member of Danity Kane, a group featured in MTV’s Making the Band and signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records. Williams was a member of Destiny’s Child.
Before the potential jurors entered the courtroom, Judge Arun Subramanian quipped that the list of names on this case, which is expected to last eight weeks, was particularly long. “I felt like I was reading an appendix from The Lord of the Rings,” he said.
The inclusion of these names does not guarantee they will be called as witnesses or named again throughout the proceedings.
Last month, PEOPLE exclusively reported that Cassie will testify using her name during the trial.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“She is prepared to testify under her own name,” a previous court filing obtained by PEOPLE stated. She was originally identified as “Victim-1” in the charges against him. Cassie also accused Combs of sexual and physical assault in a November 2023 lawsuit, which opened the floodgates of assault allegations against Combs.
In her lawsuit, Cassie alleged that Combs physically attacked her after finding out about her brief relationship with Kid Cudi. He allegedly threatened to blow up the “Day ‘n’ Nite” rapper’s vehicle — and the star’s car exploded in his driveway around the same time.
On Thursday, May 1, Combs turned down his final chance to plead guilty before the trial. He told the judge he rejected a written plea offer from the prosecution, setting the stage for his highly anticipated criminal trial.
Combs stated he was “nervous” on the first day of his trial. Dressed in a blue blazer and bearing gray hair and beard, he asked Judge Subramanian if he could take a quick bathroom break, which was initially denied.
He then told the judge, “I’m sorry, your honor, I’m a little nervous today.” Subramanian then granted him a two-minute break to relieve himself.
Combs has been held in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested.
