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Singer Cassie Ventura testified in a federal courtroom that Sean "Diddy" Combs overdosed on opioids the night of a Playboy Mansion party in 2012. The incident, she said, was part of a long pattern of substance abuse and disturbing behavior that defined their decade-long relationship.
Ventura told the court that Combs took an unidentified but powerful opioid that evening, prompting a trip to the hospital. The overdose followed what she called a "freak-off", a term the couple used for sex parties often involving drugs and male sex workers. According to Ventura, Combs would direct and watch the acts unfold, sometimes while masturbating.
A toxic mix of control and addiction
During her third day on the witness stand, Ventura portrayed Combs as a man deeply entrenched in addiction, manipulation and violence. She testified that both of them regularly used painkillers and opioids, which she says she took to cope with the emotional and physical toll of the so-called freak-offs.
"He was an addict," Ventura told the court, adding that they had conversations about quitting but would relapse repeatedly. She said the drug use was often tied to Combs' fear of getting lost in "the matrix," their code for being too high to perform during the parties.
Inside a coercive relationship
The defense attempted to challenge Ventura's credibility by presenting flirtatious and sexually explicit texts between her and Combs. But Ventura insisted that much of her behavior during the relationship was a result of coercion and fear. "It felt like a job," she said when asked why she kept participating in the events.
Ventura also addressed Combs' reaction to her past relationships with other celebrities, including Kid Cudi and Michael B. Jordan, which she said would trigger violent outbursts and jealousy.
Now married and expecting her third child, Ventura has emerged as the prosecution's central witness in a case accusing Combs of sex trafficking, racketeering and operating his entertainment empire as a criminal enterprise. Combs has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty.
With cross-examination nearing its end, the case continues to unfold in federal court.