Cassie Ventura reveals origin of Sean Combs’ ‘freak offs’ in court

Cassie Ventura is sharing the graphic details of her 10-year relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs, which she claims became increasingly “violent” as the rap mogul took control of her life and career.

As part of Combs’ ongoing criminal trial, Ventura, who is eight months pregnant, took the witness stand on Tuesday and alleged several physical altercations throughout their relationship.

“They were violent arguments [and] usually resulted in physical abuse and dragging, different things,” Ventura told jurors, according to NBC News. “He would mash my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me.”

Alleging that the injuries were frequent and visible, Ventura added, “Usually I would get knots on my forehead, black eyes, red eyes, bruises all over my body, it just depended.”

Ventura, who reportedly grew emotional and dabbed her eyes with tissues throughout the testimony, also addressed the origin of the rapper’s “freak-offs,” Combs-hosted gatherings wherein he would allegedly observe, instruct, and film her having sex with sex workers. She claimed that he first proposed the idea a year into their relationship.

“I was 22 at the time. My stomach churned,” Ventura testified. “[I] didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turn on but I accepted the responsibility. I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy.”

She continued, “It wasn’t something that I wanted to be doing, especially as regularly as it became. But again, I was in love and wanted to make him happy. At some point, I felt I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Ventura also pointed to her deal with Combs’ Bad Boy Records, claiming their relationship was complicated by the control he had over her career.

“I didn’t know what ‘No’ could turn into,” she said in court, later adding, “I didn’t know if he would be upset enough to be violent or not want to be with me at all.”

Ventura said she also feared retaliation due to Combs keeping several videos and pictures of her encounters with escorts.

The singer said that as their relationship progressed, it became her job to hire the escorts. As a result, her music took a backseat as the “freak off” sessions became a priority “and there was no space to do anything else.”

She added, “Staying out for days on end, taking drugs and drinking, having sex with a stranger… They would be 36, 48, 72 hours. The longest one was four days.”

Ventura said that during that period, she recorded hundreds of songs despite only releasing one studio album and one mixtape.  “Sean decided I could not release another album,” she claimed.

Per the Associated Press, Ventura reiterated that it was difficult to refuse Combs’ demand, adding, “Sean is a really polarizing person, also really charming. It’s hard to really be able to decide in that moment what you need when he’s telling you what he wants. I just didn’t know. I didn’t know what would happen.”

Combs’ federal trial began on May 5, after he was arrested in Manhattan last September following a grand jury indictment. According to the unsealed indictment, Combs and members of his enterprise are accused of engaging in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Combs pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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Combs’ recent bout of legal troubles began in November 2023, when Ventura sued the musician, alleging rape and physical abuse. She settled the case the following day, but her public accusations inspired more plaintiffs to come forward in the following weeks with their own abuse allegations against Combs, who denied these allegations.

Then, in March 2024, federal agents raided Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes during an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Combs slammed the raids, calling them a “gross overuse of military-level force” in a statement via a lawyer the next day.

In May 2024, a video of Combs physically assaulting Ventura circulated online, which led to the musician making a public apology. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” Combs stated in a video. “I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”