The Year in Music 2025: Diddy’s reckoning

Cardi B went viral for her courtroom drama in 2025, but she wasn’t the only major figure forced to face a judge. One of the most defining legal moments of the year came when Sean “Diddy” Combs stood trial in a high-profile federal case involving charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Jury selection began on May 5, 2025, with opening statements delivered the following week. Numerous witnesses testified over the course of the multiweek trial, but Combs’ ex Cassie Ventura’s testimony was the centerpiece of the prosecution’s case. She and several others described alleged patterns of violence, coercion and sexual exploitation, before the verdict was delivered in early July.

Combs was acquitted on the most serious charges — racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking — but was convicted on two federal counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. In October, he was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine, followed by supervised release. He is currently serving his sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey.

His legal team has filed an appeal in an attempt to reduce his prison term; they’ve been granted an expedited appeal schedule for his conviction.

While Diddy has largely remained out of public view, photos and short clips have been released, offering rare insight into his incarceration.

As the legal process continues, Combs ends the year as the subject of renewed public scrutiny following the release of the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning, executive produced by 50 Cent. 50 claimed he believed Combs would like the documentary, though reports say Combs attempted to block its release. His attorneys have since sent a cease and desist letter, alleging the project uses “stolen footage that was never authorized for release,” according to CNN.

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