Sean “Diddy” Combs once auditioned to portray soul music legend James Brown in the 2014 biopic Get on Up, though the role ultimately went to the late actor Chadwick Boseman. The revelation surfaced during testimony in Combs’ ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering trial.
The detail came out during the cross-examination of a former assistant, known in court by the pseudonym “Mia,” who has accused Combs of rape and sexual assault. As part of the proceedings, several text messages between Mia and Combs were presented as evidence.
In one message dated August 2020, Mia referenced Boseman’s passing and mentioned Combs’ attempt to secure the James Brown role. She told Combs she still had his audition tape and described it as a high-production effort, saying the pair had worked on it over the course of a week.
The messages also included references to their time together, which Mia described as filled with both extravagant and disturbing moments. She recalled an incident where Mick Jagger allegedly flirted with her and a poker game involving Leonardo DiCaprio. In that exchange, she quoted Combs as saying, “That ‘Titanic’ motherfucker doesn’t know shit. He won $10,000. I won $650,000.”
Mia has testified that her eight years working for Combs were marked by abuse, describing her experience as full of extreme emotional highs and devastating lows. She claims she was repeatedly assaulted and manipulated by Combs, saying she felt “brainwashed” and constantly sought his approval, even after leaving his employment.
She told the court she never reported the alleged rape, saying she “wanted to die with it.” Mia also said she now suffers from severe PTSD due to her time with Combs.
Her testimony includes allegations that Combs slammed her arm in a heavy commercial door, threw her against a wall during an assault on his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, and forced her to take ketamine at the Burning Man festival.
Combs faces multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
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