NEW YORK — On Monday, May 5, potential jurors in Sean Diddy Combs federal trafficking trial admitted they were aware of the serious allegations against him, including seeing a video allegedly showing him assaulting a woman and hearing a joke by a comedian about baby oil—an item prosecutors say was found in large quantities at his homes. However, simply knowing about the case from news or social media didn’t automatically disqualify them from serving. The trial, expected to span up to two months, involves charges of racketeering conspiracy, trafficking, and facilitating illegal activity. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty.

A major figure in 1990s and 2000s hip-hop and the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs was known for his influence on the music industry and his extravagant parties in places like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez. Inside a federal courtroom on the 26th floor in Lower Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian began the jury selection process, questioning 32 individuals individually to find 12 jurors and six alternates who could remain impartial despite intense media attention.

So far, 19 jurors were deemed suitable—including two self-described fans of 1990s hip-hop—while the rest were dismissed. Additional candidates will be reviewed on Tuesday, with the goal of completing jury selection by weeks end. From the final pool of 45 eligible jurors, attorneys from both sides will be allowed to dismiss some without providing a reason. Combs, dressed in dark sunglasses and showing a salt-and-pepper beard, was present in court. One juror said they saw news footage that appeared to show Combs assaulting someone in a hotel, but assured the judge they could remain unbiased. That juror, labeled Juror No. 5, was approved for the panel. Another potential juror, however, was dismissed after saying a still image they saw from the same incident looked like damning evidence.

CNN previously aired hotel surveillance footage allegedly showing Combs attacking his former girlfriend, RB singer Casandra Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. After the footage aired, Combs issued a public apology. To protect them from potential threats or harassment, the jury will remain anonymous—standard practice in high-profile cases. Prosecutors argue the footage is part of a larger pattern spanning two decades, in which Combs allegedly used violence, threats, and drugs to force women into prolonged, drug-fueled acts with male participants in events he called Freak Offs. They claim staff from Combs companies arranged hotel bookings, obtained drugs and supplies, and helped conceal the activities.

Authorities said raids on Combs properties turned up drugs and around 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant. One juror admitted to “liking” a social media video where a comedian joked about Combs and baby oil but insisted they could remain impartial. The judge allowed that juror to continue. Combs’ legal team contends the hotel video depicts a personal argument over cheating, not a crime, and maintains that the activities described by prosecutors were consensual.

The case puts Combs among a growing list of high-profile entertainment figures accused of misconduct since the #MeToo movement began. He has been detained since his September arrest at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, roughly an hour by subway from Harlem, where he grew up. Combs’ life story—rising from a tough upbringing with a single mother to living in luxury homes in Los Angeles and Miami—has been widely publicized.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.