After Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of sex-trafficking, despite days of Cassie Ventura testifying to the contrary, the singer has received support from someone who knows what it’s like to have their sexual assault claims play out in court: Kesha.
Just hours after the Bad Boy Records founder was acquitted on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges Wednesday (July 2) — with a New York jury only convicting him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution — Kesha shared a message of solidarity with Ventura on X. “Cassie, I believe you,” she wrote. “I love you.”
The pop star added, “Your strength is a beacon for every survivor.”
The jury’s decision came after two days of deliberations, putting an end to a seven-week trial that found federal prosecutors attempting to convict Diddy on allegations that he’d spent years running a criminal enterprise built around his own sexual gratification. Ventura took the stand for several days in May and detailed how the disgraced mogul allegedly abused and trafficked her for the sake of his “freak off” parties.
Diddy has denied all of the accusations levied against him in the trial from the beginning. He now awaits sentencing, facing a maximum of 20 years behind bars for the prostitution charge.
Kesha has previously found herself in the middle of legal proceedings involving allegations of sexual assault, with the singer accusing producer Dr. Luke in 2014 of drugging her and raping her at a 2005 party, something he vehemently denies. The claims sparked a yearslong legal battle that finally ended when the two parties reached a settlement in 2023 — but Kesha has been open about the toll her experience has taken on her personally and artistically.
The “TikTok” hitmaker is now gearing up to release . (Period) — her very first independent album after finishing her contract with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records — on July 4. “It’s been all of my vision, all of my words, a lot of hard work, a lot of joy,” Kesha said of the project on The Jennifer Hudson Show in May. “Really coming back home to myself and feeling what freedom really looks like, feels like, sounds like.”
As for Ventura, the model recently welcomed her third baby with husband Alex Fine. The birth came just a couple of weeks after she finished her time on the stand in Diddy’s trial.
In response to the hip-hop titan’s partial acquittal, Ventura’s attorney’s said in a statement, “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.”
See Kesha’s post below.
KeshaRose/X
Stephen Macklam (left) and Sam Feldman.Courtesy Photos