How many mistrial appeals has Diddy's defense filed? Melanie King says they're trying to "prove prosecutorial misconduct" using the "insane" tactic

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing federal trial entered its sixth week and is nearing its end. Prosecutors have accused Combs of operating a criminal enterprise and using his power to traffic women and silence any accuser. The defense has been working to get the jury to rule in favor of the 55-year-old rapper as he faces the serious allegations.

According to a June 16 report by PBS News, Diddy’s defense team has requested a mistrial three times since his trial began in May 2025. However, Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed all three mistrial requests.

On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, internet personality Melanie King took to her YouTube channel to discuss how Combs’ lawyers were trying to “prove prosecutorial misconduct” through the mistrial appeals.

“The defense is playing games. They really are trying to set up as many holes as they can for them to get an appeal or mistrial... It’s insane. The judge denies all of it... It has no merit, and they’re jumping through hoops trying to prove prosecutorial misconduct,” she commented.

King further claimed that the defense was “clearly playing games.” She talked about how they only wanted to keep the now-dismissed Juror No. 6 because he was a Black man, making it about race.

“It’s such a reach what they’re doing, and you can see they’re clearly playing games. But this is how it goes when it comes to defense attorneys,” she said.

---

When did Diddy’s defense team make the mistrial appeals?

According to a June 8 Rolling Stone report, the first mistrial request was made in May during an LA Fire Department arson investigator’s testimony when the witness was describing the aftermath of the burning of Kid Cudi’s Porsche. The defense claimed that the prosecution was trying to “suggest” that Diddy had had the fingerprints recovered during the investigation destroyed.

As per the report, the defense, then, made a second motion for a mistrial in early June on claims of false testimony from graphic designer Bryana Bongolan, who alleged in the witness stand that Diddy had dangled her over a 17-floor apartment balcony in September 2016. They stated that Bongolan’s testimony painted Combs in “an extremely negative light,” claiming it was “improper.”

The third mistrial appeal was made this week in regards to the dismissal of Juror No. 6, a Black man, on the grounds of inconsistencies in his answers about his residency. As per PBS News, the defense claimed that the prosecutors were trying to remove the juror because of his race, and his “lack of candor” was just an excuse, harming the jury’s diversity.

However, according to the BBC, on June 16, the juror was replaced by a 57-year-old white alternative juror.

As per the news outlet, federal prosecutors dismissed the defense’s implication that they were making decisions based on race.

“The court cannot and should not let race factor into what it should do,” Judge Subramanian said. “There is nothing the juror can say at this point that can put the genie back in the bottle and repair his credibility.”

Notably, a total of twelve jurors are presiding over the Diddy trial. They include eight men and four women who were selected, along with six alternates. The prosecution is aiming to rest their side of the presentation by this week.

---

The 55-year-old rapper has pleaded not guilty since he was arrested in September 2024. Diddy currently reportedly faces five criminal counts in his federal trial. They include one count of racketeering in conspiracy, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.

Combs can face life in prison if convicted on all charges of his alleged crimes. Meanwhile, Judge Arun Subramanian has also reportedly said that the proceedings in the trial should be wrapped up by July 4, 2025.

Edited by Ankita Barat