Judge to Sean Combs: Stop Nodding at the Jury

He threatens to ban the celebrity from the courtroom if it continues
Posted Jun 5, 2025 1:31 PM CDT
Judge to Sean Combs: Stop Nodding at the Jury
In this courtroom sketch, Sean "Diddy" Combs blows kisses to people in the audience during his trial in Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 19, 2025, in New York.   (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

The Sean Combs trial had a moment of drama on Thursday, though the jury didn't see it. After jurors were excused for lunch, federal judge Arun Subramanian angrily ordered Combs to stop making facial expressions to jurors during testimony, reports USA Today. "Your client was looking at the jury and nodding vigorously," told the defense team. "I was very clear there were not to be any facial expressions or any attempts to influence the jury."

Subramanian said he'd bar Combs from the courtroom if it continued, and lead attorney Marc Agnifilo promised it wouldn't. This was apparently not a one-time thing: Court sketch artist Jane Rosenberg, who uses binoculars to keep a close eye on Combs, tells NBC News that Combs has been making facial expressions toward jurors since the trial began, sometimes apparently to affirm testimony and sometimes to cast doubt on it. (More Sean Combs stories.)

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