It’s the most important performance of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ life.
The rapper/actor/showman has apparently been treating the US District Court in Lower Manhattan as his stage as he is on trial fighting charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
He has allegedly been working so hard to charm jurors that the judge has ordered him to stop interacting with them after Combs, who is used to playing to the crowd, repeatedly made eye contact, smiled and nodded at the eight men and four women set to decide his fate — which, if he is found guilty, could mean life in prison.
Even his wardrobe — crewneck sweaters in muted neutrals — is a calculated move.
“They’re doing it for a reason … every move is thought out,” said one courtroom expert. “You put him in a blue sweater and it’s like you’re trying to dupe the jury into believing that he’s something he’s not.”
“There is no method or strategy behind Mr. Combs’ courtroom wardrobe,” said a representative for Combs’ attorney Teny Geragos. “He did not choose what he’s wearing, and no one is advising him on his attire — the court order was very specific about what he could wear.”
But Combs, who has gone gray without hair dye, is apparently so worried about his appearance, he has complained that the courtroom sketch artist made him look like a “koala.”
Last week, Combs was reprimanded by Judge Arun Subramanian for repeatedly nodding at jurors. She threatened to throw him out of his own trial and reprimanded him: “It cannot happen again.”
He’s also nodded approvingly at one witness who played up his work ethic and appeared disapproving toward another who claimed to have been punished for poor performance. He’s entered the courtroom with a smile on his face and while making a heart gesture with his hands.
In one instance, when he and a juror both did what they could to ward off the courtroom chill — Combs rubbed his hands, the juror rubbed his arms — the music mogul reportedly looked at the juror and mouthed the word “Cold,” receiving a smile in return.
“That can get him in trouble,” said a criminal defense attorney who represents rappers and asked not to be identified for fear that an association with Combs could look bad to his clients. “No lawyer would tell him to do that. In fact, I would advise him against it. Judges tend not to like it.”
It’s unclear whether Subramanian minded Combs engaging with the courtroom sketch artist.
With no cameras allowed in the courtroom, the work of veteran trial sketcher Jane Rosenberg provides the sole visual record of the proceedings.
Like others before him — including Rudy Giuiani, who once told the artist, “You made me look like my dog!” — Combs is not a fan of Rosenberg’s depictions. She has said the music mogul told her, “Soften me up a bit. You’re making me look like a koala bear.”
Meanwhile, Combs, who had his own Sean John fashion line, has been turning out for court as he never did in public.
It’s been reported that he is alternating between five sets of sweaters, slacks and button-down shirts and two pairs of lace-free shoes (often a rule for the incarcerated).
“But, look, we’re talking about Diddy. Everyone knows who he is. So it’s tough to make that work,” the attorney said of the low-key, non-flashy look. “Plus, a federal courtroom is a formal setting. I think you should be wearing a suit there. Everyone knows that he can afford a suit.”
Sweaters have also been courtroom favorites of defendants like Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. The style of burgundy sweater worn by accused murderer Luigi Mangione while pleading not guilty sold out at Nordstrom last December.
The first major trial to feature defendants in sweaters was Eric and Lyle Menendez’s murder trial in 1993, though the siblings favored bright blues, greens and corals in an apparent effort to appear harmless.
But the attorney noted, “At the end of the day, how the guy dresses will go only so far. There is nothing more eloquent than the facts of the case.”
