Britt Jones
Sean' Diddy' Combs appeared with grey hair and a beard on the first day of his trial, and an expert has explained why.
In 2024, the rapper was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He has repeatedly denied all the charges made against him.
The case against Combs has since started at a New York courthouse, with the prosecution and defence teams having already given their opening statements.
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Assistant US attorney, Emily Johnson, claimed the musician had run a 'criminal enterprise' alongside the help of an 'inner circle' of employees, while defence Teny Geragos called him a 'complicated' man but insisted that Combs' alleged victims were 'willing' participants.
If convicted, Combs faces up to life in prison, with the trial expected to last up to eight weeks.
As jurors will begin to listen to the full scope of accusations against him, they’ve probably already noticed one major change to his appearance - his grey hair and beard.
Long gone is his black hair and trimmed facial hair since his arrest. He was also granted permission by the court to wear special clothes for his trial, meaning he'll not be wearing prison clothing.
Jury consultant Alan Tuerkheimer has explained to US Weekly why he thinks that the 55-year-old 'is letting his hair go gray purposefully'.
“The hope is that, given the lascivious nature of some of the alleged acts he participated in, the jury sees a more seasoned and grown-up version of his former self.” he said.
Tuerkheimer claimed that this is ‘a way to convey remorse without any kind of admission of fault or wrongdoing’.
He added: “This [looks like] a more mature and gentler individual. Many of these assessments of a defendant take place subconsciously, as jurors process his entire appearance.
“If he does not testify, they will form their impression of him in large part based on what they see when looking at him throughout the trial.”
Not only did Tuerkheimer think this, but so did Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Joshua Ritter.
He went on to say that ‘someone who appears gray [with a] gray hair, gray beard, dressed in kind of a sweater … doesn’t look like the kind of person that would commit the sorts of atrocities that are going to be alleged.’
He added that Diddy’s greying hair now 'doesn’t look like the kind of person that would commit the sorts of atrocities that are going to be alleged’ which could now ‘play at least a subconscious role in [the 12 jury members’] heads'.
Tyla has contacted Diddy's representatives for comment.