Emily Simpson
Appearances
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
And obviously I'm also, it surprises me that you weren't summoned.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So you're saying a little pre maybe a little your experience was before it really started to take off into some of the dirtier things.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
OK, let me ask you a question. Did you were you aware of these alleged? I guess they're not alleged because they're on tape and we've seen them. But these freak offs when you had your experience, was that something that you had heard of that you saw that you witnessed that you knew about? I don't think I can get into that territory, but.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I know that there is a lot of talk about whether they're going to show the freak-off videos during the trial. Now, the question is, does that help the prosecution or does that hurt the prosecution? I guess it really depends upon how much they show, what they show. But...
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
if they show it in a way where people are like okay that's crazy but this is a bunch of adults that consented to this i've heard that diddy actually on these videos i don't know if this is true this is alleged this is what i've heard that he wa that he actually makes a disclaimer in the beginning before any of these freak-offs start and say if there's anyone that doesn't want to be here you can leave so i don't know if that's true i that's just allegedly do you know anything about that
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. He's also careful that he has someone under his direction actually put the cocktail in the car and commit the arson. It's not him. He's not the one cutting the convertible open. But, you know, I thought the same thing.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, I would agree with that. And I would say that's basically what the defense has. And that's what they're going to focus on on every single witness forward. It's always going to be. Why did you stay? Why were you there so long? Why did you engage? Why did you come back? Why did you keep showing up for work?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I know. I agree with you. At the end of the day, it comes down to theatrics a lot. And a trial is nothing more than who is the more convincing attorney, who plays the part better, who does the jury like better, who's more likable, who's more attractive.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I agree with that. You know, let me ask you another question, because there's been a lot of talk about this victim number three who supposedly is named Gina that now they can't find to testify.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Was she a girlfriend or just someone that she wasn't someone that did she work for him or was she a girlfriend? No, no working for him.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Loosely, right?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
And I thought it was really important that the prosecution did put Dawn on who I can't remember. Is she psychiatrists?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I believe that's the, is that the Jane that's, is that who they're calling Jane that's coming up?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah, that's why the defense attorney.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. And then they don't want to take that risk. So it's better to just not.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. And we know she also testified in the Amber and Johnny. Right. So but I thought it was really important that they brought her forward. And I'm sure you probably agree with that because that's the question that the jury has is why did people continue to go back? Why did they stay? Why did they show up for work the next day? Why did they spend years? And so it was important for her to come on.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I had a question to ask you because you have personal experience with them. And I thought this is random, but I found this interesting that I think on two different occasions, it has come up in testimony that I think it was Gina, but it wasn't Gina testifying, but it was someone testifying to an incident where apparently Diddy threw apples at Gina.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
And then Mia was testifying, I believe, yesterday that he threw spaghetti at her. And I just was like, it was the food items that I thought was odd. And there were eggs and a can. Right. And I was like, what? Allegedly. Allegedly. But what is that?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Is that a form of humiliation or a lack of any type of control at all that no matter what is on the surface of a countertop that you will just reach for it and assault someone? Yeah. Yeah, basically.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I just found that interesting that in this testimony, like food keeps coming up.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Somebody's somebody's getting spaghetti.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
No, I don't. I think I think the testimony has been too compelling. I think the repetition of the repeated behaviors. It's not like he got drunk one night and, you know, he went all he went.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
off the rails which can happen to people i think it's a long established repeated behavior over and over and over and it goes down i mean it boils down to the fact that he's a cruel man he's it's cruelty it's about power it's about coercion it's about it's it's evil it's cruel and i think i don't think the jury can get past that
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Oh, my gosh. I don't I don't know if I could give the I'd have to.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I mean, I'd have to actually Google the legal definition of coercion is the legal definition of coercion.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
of coercion with multiple witnesses yeah absolutely and even when people are acting as the defense would claim willingly because they're showing up or they're carrying things or they're carrying out these these demands as they claim like with free will there isn't free will you know that there's no free will you know that there's repercussions later
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
But you're you have your own personal experience in that realm. Yeah.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah, that's mind blowing.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
It's a possibility, but I'll tell you, just based upon the little that I know of him, I don't think he would take a plea deal.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
But when someone has been in the world that he's been in, with people catering to his every whim... You don't think like a rational, reasonable person. You think that you're always going to win and you're always going to get away with it.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, you know, the defense made a motion that they didn't want Cassie... They wanted them to be able to see her belly. Yes, they wanted her seated before the jury came in to... I know, there were a lot of little tactics that showed me, okay, he's still...
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Here's another question. And I feel like this maybe feeds into his narcissism or ego or whatever you want to call it. The fact that he has his children sitting in the courtroom.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
It was mind-boggling to me.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yes. And would you not be completely embarrassed? And that's what makes me think that this is truly someone who's so narcissistic that they have no concept of what they've done that they would allow their children and their mom. What's his mom like 80 something or I don't know, like his elderly mom to be.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I don't know anything about his mom. Is that another rabbit hole that I need to go down? I'm laying in bed.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
All right.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So you're saying the only way that you would feel any ounce of sympathy is if there was some testimony that went to him being hurt so severely.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So did you think did you think her testimony helped or hurt the prosecution?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right, so you're saying why bring it up if it's going to be an inconsistent statement and then your witness doesn't look credible in court.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah. What's your take on that video? Who do you think leaked it? Do you think it was someone in security, someone in the hotel staff? I can't say.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, here's what's interesting is that there is a group of us.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. Wait, can I can I ask a question? Because I think this is ironic when I was listening to you talk. Weren't you poised as the sexy one? Wasn't that weren't they? Wasn't the intent was to establish you as like the pretty, the sexy one. And then you end up getting fired for being like the sexy one. Was that do I read that?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Are you talking about the what's the guy's name, then or whatever? The bald guy or you from gigolos? Well, there's two guys that were up there from gigolos.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. Right.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I mean, I'm like... You know, you could be both. You could be sexy and smart at the same time, though.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Can I tell you something that you just said that? I wish I could turn my camera because I literally have two dogs laying right behind me right now.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I feel like we're the same person. They're all rescues. I have three purebred rescues. What are they?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I lost a Pomeranian a couple years ago. It was like the worst heartbreak of my entire life. He was 12 years old. I still haven't recovered. Then I've got a German Shepherd rescue. I've got a cattle dog rescue. And then I've got like a little pit bull mix somewhere around here rescue. So I have dogs and I read books all the time and I'm a huge nerd. So...
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Amy said that we would get along fantastically. You know what I said?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, it seemed to work well for his business, actually, because the man has done it for years and years and years and years and years and is a billionaire now.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, I think from my perspective, looking at you and the way that you speak about it, when I talk about it with my husband or we do it, it's just straight from a legal perspective. And it's very linear because I don't know him. I don't have personal experience. All the podcasts are linear. This is the only one offering something different. Exactly.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
And I think maybe and I understand you not wanting to go into it, not wanting to talk about it, trying to protect yourself, protect your emotions and contracts and everything.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
You got to get your outfits together, get your content together. What are you doing?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I know. I do the same thing. I spend so much time doing legal research. It's insane. But I love it. Like, I enjoy it. Do you enjoy it? Because I enjoy it. That's how I know I'm a huge nerd.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah, but what sucks is you're saying, I Google you, which I've never done, but if I Google you right now, the fat photos are going to shut up.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
That one time period, the one isolated event. And that's all that's out there.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Who's Carlos?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah, she could come out of it.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
You could pick some flowers on the way up.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
To be successful.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah, you do. You have a you have a level of sympathy in there still.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah. So you're saying you're just hoping that these civil suits are a way for you to learn more about some of the other people.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So for you, it's more of a personal journey of understanding who he is and why he acts the way he does.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I'm going to say guilty.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I'm going to stay guilty on racketeering. I think that there's all these witnesses. They're definitely establishing criminal enterprise and Mia's testimony. Like you pointed out, we're not talking about girlfriends anymore. So we can't hone in on the whole, like, you know, she was a girlfriend. She was doing it consensually. You know, that's just the way the relationship was. He's kinky.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
She went along with it. Now we're talking about the way he treated a personal assistant. So that was really compelling testimony as far as the criminal enterprise. So.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I don't either. The only thing I worried about in the beginning was jury tampering. Well, we shall see, right? We shall see.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Yeah, it was. It was really fun. Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. And I look forward to next time.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Okay. Thanks, Aubrey. I am. Thank you. Okay. Bye.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, I would also say when you were going through that, that was a different time period. And I think that it was now because of all these women that have come forward like Cassie and there's been women before her and with the Me Too movement. I think women are more empowered now to stand up for themselves and to say, I'm not comfortable doing that. That's not right.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
The problem is, is that this was early 2000s for you, right? Yeah. And I don't think that you had anyone advocating on your behalf. And when we talk about Diddy and we talk about this trial and we talk about the prosecution, you're absolutely right when you say that this was a whole network of people that knew what was going on. And clearly there were deep pockets. There were people being paid.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
You know, I'm excited to talk to you, too, because obviously my husband and I have been covering the trial. We do a lot of legal analysis. You know, we break it down. We talked about testimony. You know, we talk about Rico and what he's actually being charged with and whether the prosecution is meeting those burdens.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
There were people turning away.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So you, because I've worried. My worry in this case is establishing Rico. So I was feeling up until this point where you're saying when Mia comes in. And again, I don't know if we established this already, but Mia is a pseudonym. So that is not her real name. No, that's not her real name. I was wondering if you know who she is. Yes, I do. Yes.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So you know her personally and you've met her before or had interactions with her before? Yes. And my what do you think? I want to know your opinion on this. What is do you think is her reasoning for using a pseudonym? Because clearly she's sitting in court across from him. He knows who she is. I assume it's just to keep her name out of the press.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
It's very interesting for me as a lawyer to talk to you because it's not very often that I actually get the opportunity to talk to someone who has personal experience with a legal issue that we're discussing and that we're analyzing. So this is a win-win for both of us. So it's very exciting.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
However, at some point it's going to be released and it's going to get out there. There's no way you can keep that secret for a long period of time. So to me, it's just let me say this.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. And you have to remember, just everyone out there listening, the prosecution has to prove Rico, which means that they have to prove that Diddy worked as a criminal enterprise and that he was at the top and that all of his employees were working together for a unified benefit of this criminal enterprise.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
And so far, when you have Cassie testifying and you have some personal assistants testifying, it was like, I don't know, are we establishing a criminal enterprise here?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Well, you know, it's actually it defines RICO defines an enterprise, a criminal enterprise. It's actually defined very broadly, which is good because we don't want to have a very narrow scope on it. And it's really just a business or a group of people that are based in criminal activity. And really, it's you have to have two criminal acts within a 10 year time period.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
So I feel like they were checked. Right. Right. Exactly. And it's for one common just, you know, one common unified goal, which is Diddy at the top and whatever it is that he.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
All right. Well, we'll work on that.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Right. And of course, they had Kid Cudi testify to the arson and burglary.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
Exactly. Because there you have you're establishing not only is there the sex acts and the sex trafficking, but then you have the burglary, you have the arson. So you're establishing, obviously, more than two criminal acts within a 10 year time period. So, you know, do you feel that it's been that the burden has been met?
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
I don't know. I mean, I think so. It really depends on how savvy the jury is. And I really feel like there's going to first of all, we're only in week three of testimony. So obviously, there's going to be more people that testify. And then it really comes down to prosecution when they do their closing arguments to actually tie it all together fully.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
for the jury so that they understand how all these people were involved, how they were paid, and how they were all unified in this criminal enterprise for his benefit. And I think that they'll be able to do that once we have more witnesses.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Mia Changes Everything!
You know, I would like more. I would like security to come forward. A bodyguard. Bodyguards and say, I protected him. This is what I saw. I took these payments. Just something, just a little bit more. I mean, in my mind, Rico's established. I'm just saying on a jury level, have they established it yet? I don't know, but we still have weeks of testimony.