Last September, Diddy was arrested and hit with charges related to alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. He remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and in May, his trial finally began. Cassie, Dawn Richard, Kid Cudi, and more have taken the stand so far to detail the alleged abuse they witnessed or experienced. If convicted, the Bad Boy founder could be given a hefty sentence such as life in prison.
Earlier this week, TMZ caught up with Cuba Gooding Jr. at LAX to get his take on the ordeal. He said that he's praying for everyone involved, including both Diddy and Cassie, as the trial plays out. “You turn your TV on, and see it everywhere,” he said of the trial. “Like I said, I pray for the brother, and I pray for the victims, and I pray for Cassie and her family ... That’s all I can do from a bystander’s point of view.”
“You know, it’s hard to, but yeah, I feel sympathy,” the actor added. “They say, he without sin, cast the first stone. I don’t judge anybody.”
Diddy Trial
Gooding Jr. was briefly named in producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones' lawsuit against Diddy in 2023, though he was later dropped as a defendant. During an appearance on the PBD Podcast last May, he addressed the lawsuit, calling it an alleged cash grab.
"This guy who’s suing him [is] going after the money, man," he alleged. "I’m sure, and by the way, I don’t know P. Diddy’s life. I don’t know what he’s going through […] We were acquaintances, just like I just showed you. Two–three times I’ve seen him.”
Diddy's trial is scheduled to continue tomorrow (June 20), and his alleged former drug mule Brendan Paul is expected to take the stand. He's been granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. Judge Arun Subramanian canceled proceedings yesterday due to a juror getting sick, and the court is dark today in observance of Juneteenth.
