Will Pregnant Cassie Ventura Take the Stand?

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Now that 12 jurors and six alternates have been selected, opening arguments in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs are ready to begin.

Already today, we’ve learned that the pool has been whittled down from 45 potential jurors, and Judge Arun Subramanian has provided the media with a list of numbers signifying the 18 who survived the process.

Diddy attorney Marc Agnifilo accused the prosecution of demonstrating bias in the selection process, noting that seven Black jurors were “struck” on the DA’s request.

According to TMZ, Judge Subramanian denied the defense’s challenge and determined that the jurors were not dismissed on racial grounds.

The celebrity trial of the century gets underway

It’s been a long time since a celebrity trial garnered this much media attention.

The 2022 Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial came closest in recent years — but the stakes are much higher here.

Depp and Heard were in court for a civil case, whereas Diddy is in criminal court facing life in prison on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

And like a macabre version of It’s a Wonderful Life, Diddy’s entire life will be subjected to scrutiny as both sides try and make their case with regard to the defendant’s character (or lack thereof).

The scandalous life and times of Diddy will be held up for review

Already, Judge Subraimian allowed into evidence video of Combs allegedly assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

The mogul is not on trial for the assault, and his defense argued that it was irrelevant to the trial’s proceedings.

But the judge determined that the footage is relevant to the prosecution’s arguments concerning Diddy’s temperament and impulsivity.

Cassie will also take the stand at some point. She’s one of more than 20 witnesses the prosecution intends to call.

Cassie and Diddy dated on and off for more than a decade, beginning in 2007.

It’s unclear in what order the witnesses will be called, but it’s a safe bet that she’ll be one of the first. Cassie is currently eight months pregnant with her third child.

The trial is expected to last for two months, so getting Cassie on the stand in a timely fashion is likely a top priority for the prosecution.

In the meantime, both sides are scheduled to offer their opening arguments today.

The defense is expected to argue that all of Diddy’s sexual encounters were consensual. And based on what they revealed in pretrial hearings, they might also argue that Diddy was so incapacitated by drugs and alcohol that he could not have committed the crimes of which he’s been accused.

We’ll be watching the trial closely, and we’ll bring you updates as new information becomes available.