Diddy trial: No live stream available as jury selection gets underway

As jury selection got underway on Monday for Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial, prospective jurors said they had heard news about allegations against the hip-hop mogul, seen a video of him allegedly assaulting a woman, and even heard a comedian joke about the baby oil authorities say they found in his residences.

But simply having followed prior media coverage about the case was not enough for them to be excused from potentially serving on the jury for the two-month trial of Combs, 55, on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

The trial is to be open to the public, but it is not streamed online.

This week, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan is questioning prospective jurors one-by-one, a process known as voir dire, in a bid to seat a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be fair and impartial to both sides despite heavy media coverage of the case so far.

With Combs looking on wearing dark glasses and sporting a salt-and-pepper goatee, one juror said they had seen a video on the news that showed Combs allegedly assaulting someone in a hotel. Subramanian decided that juror, referred to as Juror No. 5, was qualified for the panel after they assured the judge they would be a "blank slate entering this courtroom."

A prospective juror was dismissed after writing in a screening questionnaire last week that a still image they had seen below a news headline of a woman on the floor in a hotel hallway and Combs standing near her "could be damning evidence."

Last year, CNN broadcast surveillance footage of what it said was a 2016 incident in which Combs attacked his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Casandra Ventura, in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Combs apologized after the footage aired.

The jury will be anonymous, which is frequently the case in high-profile trials in which jurors could face threats or harassment if their identities are known. Subramanian's goal in voir dire is to choose 45 potential jurors who are qualified to serve, and lawyers for both sides will then have the opportunity to dismiss jurors without stating a reason.

Prosecutors have said the incident depicted in the hotel surveillance video was evidence of how Combs used force and threats over a two-decade period to coerce women to take part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers, which the mogul called "Freak Offs."

Prosecutors say employees of Combs' business empire helped the "Freak Offs," including by booking hotel rooms, buying controlled substances and other items used during sex, and helping him cover up the activity. During raids of Combs' homes, authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, prosecutors said.

One prospective juror said they had "liked" a video on social media in which a comedian joked about Combs and baby oil.

"I remember liking it because I thought it was funny," said the juror, who Subramanian decided was qualified after they said they would be able to put the video aside and be impartial.