Aubrey O’Day has shared her reaction to the results of Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ trial, which concluded Wednesday (July 2) with a jury convicting the disgraced mogul on transportation to engage in prostitution, but deeming him not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Filming her TV screen as CNN news anchors gave updates on the trial, the singer audibly groans in a video posted to her Instagram Story. “Verdict [is] in,” she wrote. “My god.”
In a second clip, O’Day gawks as the reporters confirm that Diddy had not been found guilty of trafficking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura — who spent days on the stand in May testifying to the contrary during the first few days of the trial — or of violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
“Oh, this makes me physically ill,” O’Day says off camera. “Cassie probably feels so horrible. I’m gonna vomit.”
The musician has been open about wanting to see Diddy brought to justice, and has previously voiced support for Ventura. After the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested in September, O’Day shared the following statement on her Story: “The purpose of Justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing.”
Ventura’s legal team responded to the verdict by stating, “By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice … This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.”
O’Day has her own personal history with Diddy, who helped assemble girl group Danity Kane on MTV’s Making the Band 3 in 2005. O’Day was part of the original lineup, but was kicked out in 2008; according to her, she was forced to leave after Diddy placed non-musical expectations on her.
In May, O’Day said that she had been in contact with Homeland Security — who led the raids on the hip-hop titan’s property two months prior, leading to his arrest — ahead of the trial. She also confirmed at the time that she would not be testifying.
Wednesday’s verdict follows a seven-week trial and about two days of jury deliberations, ending one of the biggest legal cases in music industry history. Diddy — who had stood accused of running a criminal enterprise geared toward satisfying his own sexual desires through drug fueled “freak-offs” — has denied all of the accusations from the jump.
He now awaits sentencing. The prostitution charges he was found guilty of carry a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
