Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial began on Monday (May 12) with opening statements and The Root is keeping up with the day-to-day details surrounding the case. But because there’s no cameras inside the court, the public has become increasingly curious to know more about Diddy’s appearance.
As The Root previously reported, there’s no hair dye in jail, so the 55-year-old disgraced mogul is turning grey. BBC reporter Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty attended the first day of the federal trial, and according to her, the former Bad Boy founder looks like a completely different person.
“I wouldn’t recognize him if I saw him on the street,” she told viewers on TikTok. “His hair is extremely grey. He has a grey goatee as well,” she continued. This was corroborated by @stephaniesooyt, who also saw Combs in court. But even outside of Diddy’s new hairdo, both reporters said Combs looks older than what the public is used to seeing.
Dougherty continued to her TikTok saying Diddy “looks frail, and he looks vulnerable.” She spoke with various legal experts who suggest Combs’ “fragile” state could be a “choice to present him this way” by the defense. His appearance aside, another aspect of Combs in court has people terrified... and it’s not just because of the alleged evidence against him.
“He does stare. He will turn around and look you dead in the eyes,” Dougherty said before adding, “he scans the crowd to see who’s in there that he hasn’t seen before.” In Diddy’s defense, the entire country and much of the world has their eyes on him. And with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura scheduled to take the stand against him— as well as several other witnesses and alleged victims— it’s easy to imagine why Combs is on high alert.
But it seems to be something more sinister about his actions... “He turns around and he stares— he doesn’t glance at you—he stares at you in your eye for a sustained period of time,” Dougherty concluded. Many attendees to Diddy’s trial have previously noted Combs’ staring in court.
This is only day one of what a criminal trial expected to last eight weeks. Diddy pled not guilty and was denied bail. He was charged with racketeering and human trafficking.