Entertainment
Court Slams 50-month Jail Term on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for Over Prostitution-Related Offence
Music icon, Sean “Diddy” Combs, was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday for his conviction on prostitution-related charges.
Prosecutors had sought 11 years behind bars for Combs but Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a 50-month sentence after an emotional daylong court hearing.
Combs’s lawyers had urged the judge to sentence the 55-year-old hip-hop star to 14 months, which would effectively have been time served since he has been incarcerated in Brooklyn for more than a year.
Addressing the court before the judge handed down the sentence, Combs said he was “truly sorry” for his actions and asked the judge for “another chance.”
“I ask your honor for mercy,” he said. “I beg your honor for mercy.”
Diddy Combs was acquitted by a jury in July of the most serious charges against him — sex trafficking and racketeering — but convicted of two counts of transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
Combs’s former girlfriend Casandra Ventura submitted a letter to the judge asking him to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.”
Ventura, the 39-year-old singer known as Cassie, described in wrenching detail the physical, emotional and sexual abuse she suffered while in a more than decade-long relationship with Combs.
Ventura and another woman, identified as Jane, said they were coerced into performing so-called “freak offs”: sexual marathons with hired men that Combs directed and sometimes filmed.
“The entire courtroom watched actual footage of Combs kicking and beating me as I tried to run away from a freak off in 2016,” Ventura wrote.
She said she has nightmares and flashbacks “on a regular, everyday basis.”
Ventura said she and her family had left the New York area for fear of “retribution” from Combs if he is released.
Speaking before the sentencing, prosecutor Christy Slavik said Combs has not accepted responsibility for his actions.
“His remorse was qualified. It’s as though he thinks the law doesn’t apply to him,” Slavik said.
Slavik said Combs had booked speaking engagements in Miami next week in anticipation of a light sentence, which she called “the height of hubris.”
Arguing for a lesser sentence, Nicole Westmoreland, one of Combs’s lawyers, called him an “inspiration” to the Black community and a social justice crusader.
“No, Combs is not larger than life,” she said. “He’s just a human being. He’s made mistakes.”
But he is remorseful and “it’s of no benefit to anyone to warehouse him in a prison.”
Combs’s six adult children each delivered an emotional plea on their father’s behalf, with the eldest Quincy Brown calling him “a changed man.”
“Please, please give our family the chance to heal together,” said one of his daughters, D’Lila Combs. “Not as headlines but as human beings.”
Members of Nigeria’s entertainment industry turned out in large numbers on Wednesday for the service of songs of late actor Alex Ekubo.
Ekubo died on May 11, 2026, after a battle with kidney cancer.
Colleagues, friends, and dignitaries filled The Monarch Event Centre for the ceremony, dressed strictly in white as requested by the Ekubo family.
Attendees included Funke Akindele, Kate Henshaw, Chioma Akpotha, Ebele Okaro, Nancy Isime, Ruth Kadiri, Nkechi Blessing, Stan Nze, Blessing Obasi, Ik Ogbonna, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, singer Chike, and socialite Cubana Chief Priest.
The evening featured worship led by gospel ministers Peterson Okopi and Ebuka Songs, with Pastor Jerry Eze, Nathaniel Bassey, and Kaestrings also ministering.
The Ekubo family had earlier released an obituary on the late actor’s Instagram page, asking the public to keep them in prayer.
Wednesday’s service of songs officially opened Alex Ekubo’s burial rites.
The funeral moves to Arochukwu, Abia State, for a wake-keep on June 17, with burial scheduled for June 18.
Tamunosoye Karibi-George has been crowned Miss World Nigeria 2026 after emerging winner at the pageant’s grand finale held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The 26-year-old beauty queen, who represented Bayelsa State and hails from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, beat 19 other contestants in the competition themed “Pride, Power and Purpose.”
She succeeds Joy Mojisola Raimi, Miss World Nigeria 2025, and will represent Nigeria at the 73rd Miss World Festival scheduled to hold in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from August 9 to September 5, 2026.
Miss Karibi-George is the founder of Beyond Labels, an initiative that supports children with special needs and promotes inclusion and equal opportunities.
Joining Karibi-George in the top five were Dionne Chisom Nwagbo of Anambra State, who finished as first runner-up; Shuntell Ezomo of Edo State, who emerged second runner-up; Irene Irene of Abuja; and Gold of Rivers State.
Miss World Nigeria, organized by the Silverbird Group, is one of Nigeria’s leading beauty pageants and selects the country’s representative for the international Miss World competition.
Award-winning artiste – Davido – is scheduled to perform at FIFA’s World Cup 2026 Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, adding another major global platform to his career.
Davido will perform alongside Major Lazer, the music project led by producer Diplo.
FIFA announced the lineup on Instagram, noting that more special guests will be unveiled in the coming days.
The concert is part of FIFA’s first synchronised live entertainment series across the tournament’s three host nations: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Featuring Diplo’s Major Lazer and Davido, and more special guests to be announced soon,” FIFA wrote.
The Los Angeles show will open doors at 5:00pm PT, with the live broadcast beginning at 6:00pm PT.
The series is designed to link audiences across the host countries, with simultaneous live performances streamed from Mexico City and Toronto.
FIFA said the event will stream globally across its digital platforms, including an exclusive livestream on TikTok.
Full concert and behind-the-scenes footage will be available on VuMe Live the following day.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11, 2026.
