Is Loving Baby Oil a Federal Crime?

A Bizarre First Day at the Sean Combs Trial

“Is loving baby oil a federal crime?” The defense attorney asked the 18 jurors.

“No, it is not.”

Between the defense of pissing kinks, baby oil rituals, and violent hotel tapes from Century City, Diddy’s legal team has a brutal eight weeks ahead. So does the prosecution, who now carries the burden of proving—beyond a reasonable doubt—that Sean “Diddy” Combs, now reintroduced to the court as plain old Sean Combs, is guilty of the charges at hand. And those charges, as the defense pointedly reminded the jury, are not rape or domestic abuse—but racketeering and sex trafficking.

I’m rushing back to the courthouse. Finally took a shower. Finally ran to Walgreens for toothpaste so I could brush my teeth. You’re welcome, whoever the security guard seats me next to today. I also grabbed a second notebook—my current one’s hanging on by a few pages after six hours of aggressive note-taking yesterday, documenting every word from the two witnesses who took the stand, plus details even the overflow room reporters couldn’t catch.

Yesterday, I found myself sitting in the courtroom next to Lil Rod and his attorney, Tyrone Blackburn. For those who need a refresher: Lil Rod—real name Rodney Jones—is a music producer who filed a major lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs in early 2024.

He showed up with Blackburn, both dressed to the nines. Because they’re both on a gag order, they couldn’t answer any questions about the case, but we sat side by side that morning, just behind the Combs family row. I turned to him and said, “Wow. You’re Lil Rod. I covered you extensively last year.”

I’ll be relinking my deep dive on Lil Rod later today for anyone unfamiliar with the scope of his lawsuit. Honestly, I’m realizing just how much I’ve already written about this case—deep dives for days. I need to go back, refresh, and rework some of it to help catch up anyone who’s just now joining now that the trial has started.

I’ve got two big stories in progress based on yesterday’s courtroom notes, but in the meantime, I wanted to make sure you all had access to the IG Live recap Briana and I did last night for everyone who said they missed it.

I walked out yesterday at the same time as the Combs’ twins, a clip that’s now been viral online. The moment went viral- not my particular clip, although I would argue the clip I captured is better than the videos captured by the 3409823402 paparazzi chasing them down (below).

Off to court. Cassie Ventura is expected to take the stand today. Her husband, Alex Fine walked into the court room yesterday afternoon after lunch. All the top comments online showing Alex walking into the court house say “Now that’s a real man right there!” Others asked if he was wearing eyeliner. Nobody misses a beat online, but especially at this court house.

The details documented in my notes yesterday will be shared in long-form story form this week, with a cultural twist on why this case matters and what it says about our culture.

Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs have not seen each other since Kim Porter’s funeral. Today, they’ll lock eyes for the first time in years. According to the defense, this is where they’ll finally get their “closure”

Yikes.

Off to court!

Livestream Recap from Day One with Jaggyish: