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Shortly after Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant Brendan Paul took the stand on Friday in the rapper’s New York sex-trafficking trial, he revealed details about his ex-boss’s heated temperament — including getting fired over a fanny pack. “I forgot his Lulu fanny pack,” Paul told jurors of one of his two or three terminations over his 18 months working for Diddy. He tried to fix the situation, explaining, “I went to Lulu and brought a fanny pack.” Paul said that Diddy was “angry” and instructed him to tell his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, that he was axed. Khorram effectively told Paul to hang tight and that everything would be OK. After Paul advanced a London trip — going before his arrival to make sure everything was set up — Diddy welcomed him back.
Paul had the air of an all-American boy on the stand. He wore a blue suit, no tie, and he had that non-descript short haircut seen on many guys. When Paul entered judge Arun Subramanian’s courtroom just after 9 a.m., Diddy watched him walk to the stand. Paul, who testified under an immunity agreement, played college basketball and after graduating, built a music studio in his dad’s basement. After learning about the Diddy assistant job not long after he graduated college in 2022, a contact told him “get in to get out” — which Paul understood to mean “build a Rolodex” of contacts he could use later. He wound up getting an interview; after meeting with Khorram and another Diddy staffer for about 20 minutes, he was asked: “How soon could you start?” As an assistant, Paul fulfilled many of Diddy’s day-to-day needs such as coordinating with his private chef and “packing a lot of joints” which he explained meant “packing marijuana into cones.” Because of his background as a college athlete, Paul said, his assistant work also focused a lot on Diddy’s workouts and meal plans. Working for Diddy meant 80-100 hour weeks, ranging from four-to-six days, with a $75,000 starting salary. “I was always on call,” he said. The longest Paul ever went without sleep was three days. “I was young, so I was able to handle it,” he said. He stayed awake from “prescription Adderall and rare, rare use of cocaine.”
As a boss, Diddy didn’t “take no for an answer,” Paul said. “He used to say, he wants us to move like SEAL Team 6,” the U.S. Navy special operations unit that killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. Paul said he and the broader coterie of Diddy helpers prioritized making their boss happy. He bought drugs such as cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, and marijuana for Diddy during his tenure; in total, a little over $5,000. Paul said he either gave the drugs directly to Diddy or put them in his boss’ Gucci pouch. He said that Diddy used Cialis — he kept the erectile dysfunction prescription in Diddy’s “med” bag. Once, Diddy asked Paul to test some 2-C, which is a hallucinogen. “He had 2-C with him and asked me to try it to see if it was good.” Paul tried it. Did he want to? “I wanted to prove my loyalty,” he said.
Paul said that he set up for “wild king nights” — another way alleged “Freak Off” parties were referred to — on a handful of occasions. He understood “wild king nights” involved partying, alcohol, sex, and drugs. Diddy has been accused of coercing women, including ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, into sexual encounters with male escorts during such events. He cleaned up hotel rooms after these nights several times, to avoid getting charged for damages. Paul said he put on gloves and asked why, he said it was “for sanitary reasons.” Diddy stopped having “wild king nights” at hotels after Cassie sued him in late 2023 with allegations of sexual misconduct, he said.
His last day with Diddy was on March 25, 2024, the day he was arrested at a Miami airport for cocaine possession. Paul had been checking Diddy’s room, found drugs, stuck them in his bag, and “forgot.” They were at the airport for a family trip. Prosecutor Christy Slavik asked: Was the cocaine yours? Paul said no. Did he tell the police it wasn’t his? No. Asked to explain why he didn’t, Paul replied: “loyalty.” “Who’s cocaine was it?” Slavik pressed. “Mr. Combs,” he answered.
Brian Steel, who repped Young Thug in the YSL RICO case, cross examined Paul. “You were not some drug mule, right?” Steel asked. “Absolutely not,” Paul said. Steel followed up: What was a drug mule? “Someone who trafficks kilos and kilos of drugs around the world,” Paul said matter-of-factly.
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