Kid Cudi has testified in Diddy’s sex trafficking and racketeering trial.
Thursday, marking the ninth day of Diddy’s trial, started with George Kaplan returning to testify. Kaplan, as previously covered, allegedly served as Diddy’s assistant for approximately two years. The day before, Kaplan testified that his responsibilities included cleaning up venues where alleged “freak-offs” occurred, according to the Associated Press.
Following Kaplan’s cross-examination, Cudi was brought to the witness stand. As documented by Matthew Russell Lee (known as Inner City Press on X), Cudi, following standard procedure, was initially asked to identify his profession.
From that point, Cudi responded to questions regarding his and Cassie’s “brief” relationship, testifying that they began dating in 2011 after initially meeting three years prior.
In December 2011, according to Cudi’s testimony, police were contacted regarding his home in connection with an alleged break-in attempt. That morning, Cudi stated, he got a call from Cassie, after which he went to pick her up. Cudi mentioned he subsequently called Diddy directly, who reportedly told him something along the lines of, according to the real-time Inner City Press transcript, “I’m over here waiting for you.”
When he arrived at his residence, Cudi testified he observed that Chanel packages had been opened and his dog was “locked up” in a bathroom. The effect of this alleged incident on Cudi’s dog was also addressed, with Cudi explaining it caused the pet to become “jittery.” Soon after making this discovery, Cudi said he called Diddy again, stating he wanted to “fight” him.
Cudi expanded on that impulse, testifying on Thursday that he and Diddy had another phone conversation, during which Cudi expressed that he had no interest in speaking with him anymore because he had broken into his house and hurt his dog. He and Cassie, in the meantime, eventually ended their relationship.
News of Cudi being summoned to testify was initially reported by Complex’s Shawn Setaro, with two witnesses reportedly scheduled before him as of May 20. Cudi’s name has surfaced multiple times during the trial, including when Cassie Ventura’s mother, Regina Ventura, gave her testimony.
Earlier in the trial, Regina claimed that she and her husband secured a home equity loan in 2011 after Diddy demanded $20,000 upon learning about Cassie and Cudi’s relationship. That money, however, was allegedly given back to the family within days.
Jurors were also presented with an alleged email from Cassie to her mother. In the message, she stated that Diddy had threatened to release two sex tapes of her, as well as threatened to harm both her and Cudi. Additionally, the explosion of Cudi’s car, also referenced in Cassie’s settled civil lawsuit against Diddy, was brought up during Cassie’s own testimony. In 2023, a spokesperson for Cudi reportedly told the New York Times “this is all true” when asked about the 2012 car explosion.
During his Thursday testimony, Cudi, as anticipated, was questioned about this incident. According to Cudi, one of his Porsches was destroyed through the use of a Molotov cocktail. Photographs were displayed in court, including one showing what was allegedly a hole that had been cut into the vehicle’s roof to insert the Molotov cocktail. Cudi testified that his dog-sitter was the first to notify him about the car being on fire, a blaze he later stated he believed was “intentional.”
During a subsequent meeting, Cudi said he brought up the Porsche fire to Diddy, who responded by denying any knowledge of it. Brian Steel then cross-examined Cudi, who confirmed to the frequently-in-headlines attorney that he had been “played” during his and Cassie’s brief relationship.
