The internet’s reaction to Cassie at the Diddy trial proves women still aren’t believed

Warning: This article features content that may be distressing

She took the stand while eight months pregnant at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York, one year after goose bump-inducing footage of her being dragged and kicked through a hotel corridor leaked - and yet, for some reason, that's still not enough of a reason for the internet to believe Cassie Ventura.

The former girlfriend of the rapper, who is facing allegations of sex trafficking involving drug-fuelled orgies known as "freak-offs" (which he has plead not guilty to), this week testified against the man she was in a relationship with for 10 years from the age of 19 (while he was 36), noting how she allegedly endured threats with guns, drugs, and physical violence.

"He would take the car away, the house, jewellery," she tells the court. "The physical things didn't matter, I just wanted his approval."

"Make the wrong face and the next thing I knew I would get hit in the face."

Since he was detained on 16 September 2024, more allegations and lawsuits have come to light, including those as serious as rape.

Diddy's lawyers told the court themselves that he had beaten up some of his girlfriends – but insisted he was not guilty of sex trafficking.

However, with new footage emerging of the former couple as the trial goes on, particularly a clip of the duo celebrating Diddy's 48th birthday in Mexico with friends.

They can be seen singing and dancing, holding hands among friends - all hallmarks of a typical couple, right? And it would appear that off the back of this five minute peek into their lifestyle, the internet are now slowly turning their back on Ventura, because to them, she simply looks "too happy" to be a victim.

"She looks extremely happy with him", one person wrote underneath the clip, leaked by TMZ, on X.

"Doesn't look very 'forced' to me", another penned.

"That’s the same woman that said she was in an abusive relationship for 10 years interesting. Looks like she’s having fun….", someone else added.

All it took was one public video for the armchair jury to decide that the helpless, scared version of the now-38-year-old was null and void.

In fact, just days after the hotel footage of Diddy chasing after Ventura in a towel before throwing her to the ground emerged, he released a video apology, admitting his guilt.

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said in a video statement posted to Instagram. “I was f***** up — I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.”

He continued: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I am disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

The internet’s reaction to Cassie at the Diddy trial proves women still aren’t believed Getty

This new wave of blissful ignorance to Combs' actions not only further perpetuates the narrative that victims of domestic abuse should publicly present themselves as exactly that or cast doubt over their truth, and that "if she really wanted to leave, she would".

Except, we did see her try to leave during that 2016 hotel stay, and it's proved that people are still willing to overlook the disturbing private lives of their favourite celebrities so that they can keep celebrating their art.

"While nearly 80% of people said they would report physical abuse, only 39% would consider reporting less obvious forms of domestic abuse, such as coercive control and psychological abuse", Gemma Sherrington, CEO of domestic abuse charity, Refuge, tells Indy100.

“Abuse does not always look the way we expect it to, and these harmful misconceptions can create further barriers for survivors when it comes to leaving a relationship with an abusive partner.

“At Refuge, we know fleeing abuse is a process. It takes, on average, seven attempts before a survivor is able to leave for good. From financial barriers to serious safety concerns, escaping abuse is incredibly difficult and often dangerous. As a society, we need to shift the focus to holding perpetrators accountable, rather than asking survivors why they haven’t left yet."

But this isn't just about Cassie, this is about the 44 per cent of domestic abuse cases that go unreported, and the one in four women that will face it at some point in their lives.

Just as importantly, this is about the women who will no longer feel heard, even when the whole world can see violence playing out in front of them.

The national domestic abuse helpline can offer support on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Women's Aid website. For those in the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

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