Aubrey O'Day Cries Over 'Gut Punch' of Diddy's Partial Guilty Verdict

Hours after the verdict was announced in Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ federal trial, Aubrey O’Day got emotional over what the results mean for victims of abuse.

During the Wednesday, July 2, episode of iHeartRadio’s “Aubrey O’Day, Covering The Diddy Trial” podcast, the 41-year-old sat down with CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister to discuss the jury’s decision. News broke earlier on Wednesday that Diddy, 55, was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was further acquitted on two counts of sex trafficking and one racketeering conspiracy charge.

O’Day said on the podcast that she spoke with other victims that day who seemed defeated. “They just said, ‘We’re never gonna see justice,'” she continued. “There’s so many people that have been so disenfranchised in the music industry that they never expected to even see anything good from this. Like, they were almost waiting for another gut punch.”

The singer got choked up while revealing she watched the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Diddy physically assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie (born Casandra Ventura) “17 f***ing times” that day. (CNN published the security footage in May 2024. At the time, Diddy apologized for his actions in an Instagram video.)

“There are so many f***ing people that feel so unseen. It’s horrible,” O’Day continued, overcome with emotion. “It’s horrible. It’s horrible to talk to them, it’s horrible to see the news moving on. … Like, this is shocking. And this is a gut punch for so many people. People that don’t have lawsuits, people that aren’t trying to make money or be seen. Victims that did not want to be seen or profit off of this, but just regret ever being in his path and being involved in whatever hurt harmed them, and they’re just like, ‘I told you, this is how it works.'”

O’Day noted that she felt more optimistic about how the case would end, only to be let down.

Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. His trial began in May, with the defense arguing in closing statements that the rapper’s “freak offs” were not criminal. Cassie, 38, served as a key witness against her ex.

In November 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit against Diddy accusing him of sexual and physical abuse throughout their relationship, which lasted off and on from 2007 to 2018. He denied the allegations, and the suit was settled out of court one day after it was filed.

Shortly after the verdict made headlines on Wednesday, O’Day reacted via her Instagram Story, saying, “Wow. This makes me physically ill. I’m gonna vomit.” O’Day revealed on her podcast that she “didn’t see a way out” when it came to Cassie’s sex trafficking charge.

“I mean, I can only hope that these jurors never have to watch somebody they love endure everything that we have heard everyone describe,” she continued. “I feel like Cassie is somewhere feeling taking the weight of this in.”

Diddy faces up to 20 years in prison if given the maximum sentence. Attorney Marc Agnifilo asked the judge for his client’s immediate release to his Miami Beach home, but the judge ruled that Diddy should remain in custody while awaiting his sentencing on October 3.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.