Kid Cudi Testifies Sean 'Diddy' Combs Broke Into His House

Topline

Rapper Kid Cudi took the witness stand Thursday in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial, testifying his car could not be salvaged after a firebombing prosecutors have accused Combs of orchestrating after he found out the rapper was dating Cassie Ventura, as Kid Cudi also accused Combs of breaking into his house.

Cassie Ventura alleged in her lawsuit Sean “Diddy” Combs and co-conspirators set fire to Kid Cudi’s … More vehicle. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)

Getty Images for Coachella

Key Facts

Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, testified he briefly dated Ventura in 2011 while she was on a break in her on-again, off-again relationship with Combs, stating he knew they “had some problems,” CNN reported.

The rapper testified Ventura told him Combs would “hit her, sometimes kick her,” which he said bothered him.

Ventura called Kid Cudi in distress in December 2011 after Combs found out about her relationship with him, Kid Cudi testified, telling the court he picked her up and took her to a nearby hotel, at which point they spoke on the phone with one of Combs’ employees, who told them Combs and his associates had broken into Kid Cudi’s house.

Kid Cudi testified he called Combs, asking, “Motherf——, are you in my house?” to which Combs calmly replied, “I am here waiting for you,” but once Kid Cudi returned home, he testified Combs was not there but several of his items were moved, NBC News reported.

Kid Cudi testified his car was set ablaze in January 2012 by a Molotov cocktail, as prosecutors showed the jury photos of his damaged car, which the rapper said could not be salvaged.

The rapper testified he believed Combs “had something to do with” the car explosion, though the defense objected and jurors were told to disregard the remark, the Associated Press reported.

Combs, Ventura and Kid Cudi met to discuss their conflict after the car bombing, the rapper testified, stating Combs’ demeanor was “like a Marvel supervillain” and that he said he didn’t know what Kid Cudi was talking about after the rapper asked about his destroyed car.

Years later, Combs and Kid Cudi ran into each other, and Combs told the rapper: “Man, I just want to apologize for everything and all that,” Kid Cudi testified.

Last week, Ventura testified Combs told her he wanted to blow up Kid Cudi’s car, and prosecutors previously accused Combs and co-conspirators of setting fire to the vehicle.

How Did Combs’ Lawyers Question Kid Cudi?

During the defense’s cross-examination of Kid Cudi, lawyers representing Combs portrayed Ventura as deceptive of both men. Combs’ lawyer Brian Steel asked Kid Cudi whether he and Combs were “played” by Ventura, and the rapper responded, “Yes.” “She told me they were broken up and I took her word for it,” Kid Cudi said, though Ventura had testified last week she still had “freak offs” with Combs during breaks in their relationship.

What Have Prosecutors Said About Kid Cudi’s Car?

Prosecutors previously accused Combs in a memo filed in New York court in September of kidnapping an unnamed individual with a co-conspirator to break into the residence of another unnamed individual, referred to as “Individual-1,” on Dec. 22, 2011. Prosecutors alleged Combs’ co-conspirators set fire to Individual-1’s vehicle about two weeks later, in which the co-conspirators allegedly cut open the top of the convertible and dropped a Molotov cocktail inside. Prosecutors said police and fire department officials concluded the fire was intentionally set, and multiple witnesses allegedly testified Combs had bragged about setting fire to the car. A police report from the time obtained by Rolling Stone states Kid Cudi’s car was set on fire by an “incendiary device” on Jan. 9, 2012. Representatives for Kid Cudi confirmed Ventura’s account of the alleged arson to the New York Times in November: “This is all true,” a spokesperson for the rapper said.

News Peg

Prosecutors said Wednesday Kid Cudi would take the stand Thursday morning, after being postponed from the day prior. His testimony is not expected to be long, prosecutors said, as they plan to call about five witnesses to the stand Thursday. The rapper has already been mentioned several times during the trial so far: During Ventura’s nearly week-long testimony, she said she briefly dated Kid Cudi during a break in her relationship with Combs in 2011. After Combs found out about the relationship, he became “so irate” that he kicked her in the back, giving her a large bruise, Ventura testified. Combs then told Ventura he wanted to blow up Kid Cudi’s car and wanted his friends to see it happen, she testified. Ventura told the court she later broke things off with Kid Cudi to protect him. Ventura testified she met with Combs and Kid Cudi at the Soho House in Los Angeles to discuss the end of her relationship with the rapper, during which Kid Cudi asked Combs, “What about my vehicle?” Ventura testified Combs replied, “What vehicle?”

How Could Kid Cudi’s Testimony Help The Prosecution?

Rachel Maimin, a former federal prosecutor in New York court, told NBC News Kid Cudi’s testimony could help the government prove its racketeering charge if it can show the jury Combs used his power and financial resources to destroy Kid Cudi’s car. “This may be a way of explaining how he used his business empire to further the prosecution’s goal of proving the racketeering enterprise,” Mamin said.

What Else Did Ventura Say About Kid Cudi In Her Lawsuit?

Ventura said in her lawsuit Combs had discovered her brief relationship with Kid Cudi during a “freak-off”—which prosecutors described in their indictment as coerced, “elaborate and produced sex performances” in which Combs would use “force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.” Ventura alleged Combs had “demanded” she participate in a “freak-off” after he returned from a trip, and she acquiesced. During the freak-off, Ventura alleged Combs found her phone and discovered e-mails that had been shared between Ventura and Kid Cudi, prompting him to lunge at her with a corkscrew. Ventura escaped and fled to Kid Cudi’s home, the lawsuit states. Combs’ staff contacted Ventura, who told her Combs needed to talk to her, and she returned to Combs’ home, “feeling like she could not escape Mr. Combs and his network of enforcers,” according to the suit. Ventura alleged Combs hit her several times and kicked her in the back as she attempted to run out the door after she returned home. Ventura then fled to her parents’ home in Connecticut, where her mother took pictures of the bruises Combs had allegedly inflicted on her, the suit states. Combs told Ventura while they attended Paris Fashion Week in February 2012 that he wanted to blow up Kid Cudi’s car, and that he hoped the rapper and his friends would be home for the incident. After the car allegedly exploded, Ventura alleged she was “terrified, as she began to fully comprehend what Mr. Combs was both willing and able to do to those he believed had slighted him,” the lawsuit states.

Who Is Kid Cudi?

The rapper and actor Kid Cudi, 40, won two Grammy Awards for his hit collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna, “All of the Lights,” in 2012. He is known for his hit “Man on the Moon” album trilogy and most recently released the album “Insano (Nitro Mega)” in February. In film, he has appeared in “Bill & Ted Face the Music” (2020), “Crisis” (2021) and “X” (2022), and he has executive produced the films “Malcolm & Marie” (2022), “Pearl” (2022) and “MaXXXine” (2024).

Key Background

Combs was arrested in Manhattan in September on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, cause or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution, to all of which he pleaded not guilty. The arrest followed a string of lawsuits filed against Combs, beginning with Ventura in November, accusing him of sexual assault—all of which Combs denied. CNN published security video footage captured in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 depicting Combs shoving Ventura to the ground and kicking her, prompting Combs to issue a video apology on his Instagram account. Combs is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he reportedly shares a unit with disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Kid Cudi Testifies Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Broke Into His House