Fact Check: Eddie Murphy didn't testify at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, honestly
Claim:
Actor Eddie Murphy testified at rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial in May or early June 2025.
Rating:
A rumor that circulated online beginning in late May 2025 claimed actor and comedian Eddie Murphy testified at rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial. Users primarily spread this matter through the sharing of videos. Those videos claimed Murphy told the court at Combs' New York trial that Combs forced Murphy into engaging in sexual activity with him, and that Murphy said, "I left Hollywood because of 'Diddy.'"
However, Murphy didn't testify at Combs' trial. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no news media outlets credibly reporting that Murphy testified at the trial or made any such statements regarding sexual activity or leaving Hollywood. The rumor amounted to nothing more than attempts by online creators to earn advertising revenue. Those creators executed their plans by asking artificial-intelligence (AI) tools to create videos and inauthentic thumbnail images promoting the false rumor.
Snopes contacted by email representatives for Murphy to request comment regarding the fabricated rumor, included about Murphy's alleged statements, and will update this story if we receive more information.
For example, on June 8, 2025, a manager of the Undisclosed Realms YouTube channel posted a video (archived) displaying the title, "Eddie Murphy SHOCKS Court 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy!'" The creator of the clip labeled its content in the description as "comedic satire." As of this writing, the video received over 236,000 views.
The video's thumbnail image featured an AI-generated, split-screen view, showing Combs in an orange jumpsuit alongside Murphy, both seated in front of microphones. The chyron read, "Diddy ruined my career." The video showed authentic visuals. At the same time, the clip also featured AI-generated editing, scripting and voice narration, meaning all its creator needed to do to make the entire clip was enter a brief text prompt into one of many different AI tools.
The AI-detection website Sightengine found a 99.9 percent likelihood of someone generating the thumbnail image with AI. The narrator's voice matched that of the AI-generated "Bill" on the ElevenLabs AI company's website.
Snopes added the red line due to the thumbnail image's inauthenticity. (Undisclosed Realms/YouTube)
Days earlier, on June 1, a manager of the Red Carpet Rumors Facebook page posted a video with the title, "1 MINUTE AGO: Eddie Murphy Testifies, 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy." That video, also generated with AI, received over 4 million views, and featured the description, "In a stunning courtroom revelation, comedy legend Eddie Murphy has reportedly taken the stand and confessed the real reason he vanished from Hollywood for years — and it all leads back to Sean 'Diddy' Combs. With the world watching, Eddie declared, 'I left Hollywood because of Diddy,' sending shockwaves through the courtroom and beyond."
The video's AI-generated thumbnail image showed a split-screen view of a tearful Murphy crying in court next to Combs, again wearing an orange jumpsuit. A fake photo displayed between the pair showed Murphy and Combs shirtless in a bed. The chyron referenced "breaking news" and a purported Murphy quote saying that Combs forced him into engaging in oral sex. The text read, "He made me suck it."
Snopes also added the red line in this thumbnail image. (Red Carpet Rumors/Facebook)
Other users shared this same false rumor far and wide on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived), as well as on many different YouTube channels.
A Google search result also displayed a popular TikTok video with at least 162,000 views from user @celebrity.world03, displaying the title, "P2. 1 MINUTE AGO: Eddie Murphy Testifies, 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy.'" As of this writing, an attempt to access the video showed the message, "Video currently unavailable."
Additionally, at least one X post (archived) from May 31 linked to a removed YouTube video displaying the title, "1 MINUTE AGO: Eddie Murphy Testifies, 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy.'" Upon attempting to access the video (archived), YouTube showed the message, "This video has been removed for violating YouTube's Terms of Service." In other words, this false rumor about Murphy and Combs originated in May, most likely with a label about fictional content, as opposed to satire.
While Murphy did not testify at Combs' trial, his name did receive a brief, albeit minor, mention. Referencing Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, NewsNation reported of Murphy and actor Bruce Willis:
While reviewing text messages Ventura sent Combs in court, the defense team noted she asked the hip-hop mogul if they could have more than a sexual relationship, pointing to both Willis and Murphy as examples where they successfully co-parented with the mothers of their children.
Ventura had expressed a desire to be in Combs' children's lives after he split with Kim Porter, and Combs' defense team was attempting to show that Ventura was jealous of the time Combs spent with the mother of three of his kids.
For further reading, previous fact checks examined similar rumors about other celebrities allegedly testifying against Combs, including musician Usher and actor Jim Carrey. Another claim said the prosecution in Combs' case presented as evidence a secret recording of Prince exposing the music mogul.
"AI Image Detector. Detect AI-Generated Media at Scale." Sightengine, https://sightengine.com/detect-ai-generated-images.
"DuckDuckGo - Protection. Privacy. Peace of Mind." DuckDuckGo, https://duckduckgo.com.
Falzone, Diana. "Here Are the A-Listers Mentioned in the Diddy Trial so Far." NewsNation, 7 May 2025, https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/diddy-trial-celebrities-named-in-court/.
"Free Text To Speech Online with Lifelike AI Voices." ElevenLabs, https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech.
Google. https://www.google.com/.
Google Lens - Search What You See. https://lens.google/.
Microsoft Bing. https://www.bing.com/.
Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos. https://www.yahoo.com/.
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