P. Diddy Full on Rejected His Plea Deal — Let's Take a Look at What He Gave Up
P. Diddy could be in prison for the rest of his life.
Published May 2 2025, 1:01 p.m. ET
When it comes to facing consequences, rapper Sean Combs has a long history of dodging charges and allegations lodged against him. Back in June 2015, the music mogul was arrested and charged with assault after an alleged altercation at UCLA. Combs's son Justin was on their football team and was reportedly being yelled at by assistant coach Sal Alosi during a game. Evidently, Combs confronted Alosi in his office post-game and somehow involved a kettlebell, per the BBC. Those charges were dropped.
Combs has also been cleared of four counts of illegal gun possession in 1999, had charges reduced for his involvement in the beating of former Interscope executive Steve Stoute in New York that same year, and in 2005, Combs was accused of assaulting a Michigan television host but that was resolved in the rapper's favor. There are other examples of the Bad Boy Records CEO avoiding jail time. Perhaps this is why P. Diddy rejected a plea deal ahead of his sex trafficking trial. Here's what we know.
What was P. Diddy's plea deal?
Mere days before jury selection was scheduled to begin for what could be the trial of the century, the man sometimes known as P. Diddy decided he wanted to move ahead with the proceedings. Although specific details of the plea deal have not been released, ABC News reported that it would spare him the "possibility of a prolonged prison sentence."
Maurene Comey, an assistant United States attorney, told the outlet that the plea deal could have gotten the rapper a significantly lesser sentence. If he is convicted on all counts, Combs would essentially receive a life sentence. When the "I'll Be Missing You" singer appeared in court on May 1, he appeared to be in a jovial mood, per the BBC. He was all smiles before telling Judge Arun Subramanian that he was rejecting the plea deal. "Thank you," Combs said to the judge.
P. Diddy will be back in his own clothing for the trial.
If you're the kind of person who has watched a ton of trial footage, you may have noticed clothing worn by various defendants. During the trial, they are typically wearing street clothes. If they are convicted and have to return to court for sentencing, that's when you see the guilty party in a jail uniform. The reason why the accused is permitted to wear their own clothing is that doing so does not sway the jury. If someone is dressed as a prisoner, the jury could be affected by this.
The same goes for Combs, who is already feeling the effects of being behind bars. The hip-hop artist's hair is noticeably grayer. He is also thinner, possibly due to the rather unpleasant food options at the detention center. A court order has allowed Combs to wear "non-prison clothing" during his trial, reports the BBC. He can choose from "up to five button-down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court."
Jury selection begins May 5, 2025. It's unclear if a new outfit will do anything for the 12 individuals tasked with deciding the record producer's fate. What we do know is that his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, plans on arguing that Combs was a swinger whose lifestyle was unorthodox but not illegal. The trial begins May 12.