Sean “Diddy” Combs was unrecognizable in court on Monday as he greeted potential jurors, a courtroom sketch reveals.
The disgraced rap star traded in his scruffy white hair for a clean top-cut—but kept his graying beard. He had on a navy sweater over a white-collared shirt and wore glasses.
The jury selection for Combs’ trial began Monday, during which he’ll face five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution charges. According to reports from inside the courtroom, Combs greeted potential jurors with his hands in his pockets, offering a slight nod.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Daily Mail reports that none of the jurors showed any reaction when Combs was revealed to be the defendant in the case, suggesting perhaps that the hundreds of questionnaires sent around to weed out bias may have succeeded with the first group of 50 Combs greeted Monday.
The judge joked at one point that the list of prospective jurors was so long it looked like “an appendix from Lord of the Rings.”
Combs and his legal team have argued previously that media coverage of his charges—and CNN’s release of the video of his physical assault on Cassie Ventura—have soured potential jurors. He still believes he can beat the charges though, turning down a last-minute plea deal, opting to risk losing the case and spending the rest of his life in prison.
Combs stunned those in the courtroom in March when he emerged from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the “hellish” jail where he’d been held without bail, with grown-out white hair and a beard. Reports at the time described him at the time as looking “bloated and old.”
At his first appearance for his trial on Monday, however, Combs appeared “composed and calm,” donning a navy crewneck sweater, “crisp” white shirt, and black-rimmed glasses.
As the first group of jurors were individually questioned Monday, they were read a list of people and places that would come up over the course of the trial. Two celebrity names came up—Sinners star Michael B. Jordan and Austin Powers star Mike Myers. The context for the names, however, remains unclear for now.
The selected jurors will be anonymous, as is the norm for high-profile cases. Opening statements begin on May 12. The trial is expected to last for at least three months.
