Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys played a cringe-inducing, lengthy video montage — showing him giving inspirational speeches and playing with his kids — in an apparent bid to garner sympathy for the admitted abuser at his sentencing Friday.
The 11-minute highlight reel – which featured footage of Combs feeding hospital patients, limping through marathons, singing “Happy Birthday” and sharing heartfelt hugs with his family – unfolded as the mogul’s defense attorneys pressed for a lenient sentence in Manhattan federal court.
Combs, who is facing several years in prison on prostitution-related charges, appeared to stifle tears before crying uncontrollably in the courtroom as the video showed footage of his ex Kim Porter, who died in 2018.
Sean “Diddy” Comb’s attorneys played a lengthy, 11 minute montage of the rapper in an attempt to garner sympathy at his sentencing Friday. REUTERS“Oh man,” Combs apparently mouthed more than once.
The emotional scene followed six of Combs’ children giving their own tear-soaked statements, imploring Judge Arun Subramanian to set their dad free.
Comb’s attorneys played a lengthy video montage showing him giving inspirational speeches and playing with his kids. Obtained by the NY Post
The highlight reel contained many videos of Combs with his family and lasted approximately 11 minutes. Obtained by the NY Post
Combs appeared to begin crying uncontrollably in the courtroom as the video showed footage of his ex, Kim Porter. Obtained by the NY Post
Combs is facing a lengthy prison sentence on prostitution-related charges. Obtained by the NY Post
Comb’s children also gave testimony while in tears, asking Judge Arun Subramanian to set their dad free. Obtained by the NY Post
“We’re scared of the thought of not having our dad or mom present in our lives,” said his daughter D’Lila. Obtained by the NY PostThe kids clustered together behind a lectern as they addressed the court, with a clearly anguished Combs wincing in pain and putting his head in his hands as he listened.
D’Lila Combs, one of Combs’ 18-year-old twin girls with Porter, sobbed as she addressed the judge.
“We’re scared of the thought of not having our dad or mom present in our lives,” said D’Lila, whose mother died of pneumonia aged only 46.
“We’ve lost our mother, we’ve lost time with our father and every day he remains incarcerated we lose more and more. Your honor, please, please — give our family time to heal together. To rebuild… not as a headline, but as human beings to be better,” D’Lila pleaded.
Combs’ son Christian, 27, described him as “the greatest man in the world.”
“My whole life he’s told me to treat women with respect,” the rapper-model claimed about the Bad Boy Records mogul, whose ex-girlfriends and employees testified during that trial in graphic detail that he sexually abused and beat them.
Combs’ defense didn’t call any witnesses through the two-month trial, which ended in jurors finding him guilty of prostitution counts, but acquitting him on the more-serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
For the sentencing hearing, the defense attorneys have lined up an array of character witnesses for Combs.
The Combs family’s tears extended to the rapper’s attorney Nicole Westmoreland, who tried to paint a glowing picture of the 55-year-old businessman’s character, arguing he “very positively touched… many more lives than the court can hear.”
She then, in a strange courtroom scene, broke down in tears as she contended Combs made a positive impact on the “black community” with his music-centric cable channel and media company, Revolt.
“It focused on black culture. It focused on social justice. It gave black journalists the opportunity to have a voice on multiple networks,” Westmoreland said through tears.
“This was one of Mr. Combs’ missions: to show his community that they are important, that the issues affecting the black community are important.”
