The first day of jury selection in the Diddy sex trafficking trial is in the books … and there were a few standouts … including one prospective juror who said Joe Rogan turned them on to Diddy parties.
The juror told the judge they heard about Diddy parties involving sex and drugs on an episode of Joe’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience” … but the juror was not excluded.
Another highlight … Juror No. 20 was caught shoplifting from Universal Studios … and he told the judge he had to get a lawyer after busted trying to get a five-finger discount on a wand from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Juror No. 20 also noted on the questionnaire that they liked a post on social media from a comedian making a baby oil joke.
One prospective juror that caught the defense’s attention is Juror No. 29 … a woman who says she works for HBO, the network behind the documentary, “The Fall of Diddy.”
Juror No. 30 was excluded because of her work at Simon & Schuster, the publisher behind the Al B. Sure! memoir “Do You Believe Me Now.” The memoir includes Al’s ties to Diddy and his romance with the late Kim Porter, the mother of some of Diddy’s children.
Prosecutors said the trial wouldn’t have much of a focus on Porter or Al, but the woman was excluded.
Juror 52 had an interesting scheduling conflict … revealing she wanted to travel to a Spirit Weavers gathering. The judge asked what it was, and the juror laughed and said it was a women’s event with a lot of “dancing in the woods.”
The judge told the woman she would have to miss the Spirit Weavers gathering if selected to the jury, and that didn’t seem to be a big deal for her … and she also mentioned an experience with sexual assault in college, with a flirtatious neighbor allegedly taking things too far.
The woman also joked about her job … a “bougie design firm” that handles fonts. The judge asked, “Like, courier?” and the woman responded, “Oh, never.”
Juror No. 55 was asked about getting a ticket for an open container of alcohol … with the judge laughing and saying, “Shame on you.”
Diddy’s spending his nights during the trial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn — where he’s been locked up since his September arrest — and Juror No. 58 works in the Department of Corrections, with a role putting them in charge of incarcerated people’s accounts.
Juror No. 58 also revealed they sued the Port Authority after allegedly hurting their back on an escalator … leading to a settlement.
The same juror also revealed they pled guilty to insurance fraud relating to a car accident.
Plus, we already told you about the juror who is a massage therapist whose sister is an alleged domestic violence victim.
Plenty of colorful characters … and we’re expecting more as jury selection moves forward.
