“Free Puffs” T-shirts outside Didi's Trials May Be Part of Paid Protest

Earlier this week, amid the scrum of reporters, vloggers and at least one ranting revealer that's formed the media circuit outside of the lower Manhattan federal courthouse at 500 Pearl Street stood a group of mostly Black men and women all donning the same black T-shirt with one of two phrases in support of Sean “Diddy” Combs emblazoned in white all caps: “Free Puff” and “Free $Diddy,” they read.

When the jury’s selection began on May 5, Charlucci Finney, a long-time best friend of Combs, first discovered the “Free Puff” T-shirt. Apart from Finney, his staunch supporters outside the downtown court building were few as his team of Powerhouse lawyers fought the federal government at the sex trafficking and extortion trial in Week 3 of the fallen Rap Mogul. This pop-up display of support for the defendants allowed the group to extend out of the crowd.

Most journalists in the court have every testimony hanging and are looking forward to Judge Arun Subramanian's lawyers, journalists and podcasters Emilie knows everythingDrill with sudden support to find out if this is some kind of paid protest, support for rappers on one-time rankings or something.

According to Hagen's report, this is all the above. After talking to some protesters wearing T-shirts, she learned that this could be a paid protest or a paid performance, and that these support may not come from comb support at the grassroots level. In the clip posted to Tiktok, a woman tells Hagan that she approached her while watching the silent “free $ diddy” gaggle, and then someone told them that someone was giving them a t-shirt that earned $20 an hour, earning hours at the trial as the probation period went on inside for several hours.

“He told me it was a 'Diddy Coin', so I wasn't sure what that was,” the woman told Hagan in the clip. “They just tried to pay me $20 and wear a 'free fluffy' shirt. The lady was there and kept convinced me to wear a shirt and I thought, 'I'm fine.'”

The video caught fire online and was watched by 50 Cent's rap world rivals who never missed any chance to shoot his nemesis and try some humor on Instagram. “Didi pays people to wear free Didi shirts, which is harmful,” the rapper quipped in the Instagram caption. “But $20 an hour is good. I might throw it for an hour tomorrow.”

Aside from humor, the T-shirt handouts and the so-called protests related to $DIDDY COIN do raise some ethical questions about the affiliation of the comb with the presentation organizer. That's because his eponymous member was created by his son Justin and King Combs. The two have been running social media for coins after the elder's September arrest on the comb.

The $DIDDY currency, a Memecoin launched on the Solana blockchain, is clearly ready for the controversy surrounding the Combs trial as it starts trading a few days after the jury selection begins. Since its launch, it has been promoted online by Combs and later by his friend and rapper Kanye West, at least temporarily helping its price. The live broadcast on Tuesday was $0.00001613 and the transaction volume was $594.74.

“Purpose of memes, drama and raw internet energy, $ diddy is the way the internet responds – humor, chaos and collective creativity,” a statement on the coin webpage said. “Welcome to the wonders. Welcome to $ diddy.”

Hollywood Reporter Contact Combs Global to ask if Combs was involved in the T-shirt handout and seek comment on allegations of sponsored protests outside the court, but was not immediately heard.