Cassie Ventura‘s healing era continues.
The singer gave birth to her third child—and first son—with husband Alex Fine on May 27, only 11 days after wrapping up her testimony in the sex trafficking trial of her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs.
While her attorney spoke out on her behalf after Combs was acquitted in July of the most serious charges against him—but found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution—Cassie’s No. 1 priority was re-centering herself after the emotional strain that came with spending four days as the prosecution’s star witness, knowing she could go into labor at any time.
Returning to social media for the first time since April, she re-shared a video from the @momswithplans page to her Instagram Stories on Aug. 7: A man taking purposeful pauses from dancing, with the caption, “When your old self slowly starts coming out postpartum.”
Her last post four months ago was a series of mirror selfies, captioned, “Mastering peace.” So, there’s a theme.
And when she headed from her home in Los Angeles to testify against Combs in New York, maintaining her personal equilibrium became more important than ever.
In court for most of his wife’s testimony, Fine said in a May 16 statement, “I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass. I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her.”
The lawsuit Cassie filed against Combs in November 2023 accusing him of sexual assault and other abuses over the course of their decade-long relationship was the first legal domino to fall in what quickly turned into a flood of civil litigation and eventual criminal charges targeting the Bad Boy Entertainment mogul.
The details in her complaint—many of which she recounted in her testimony—aligned with what Combs was accused of doing to the person identified as “Victim-1” in a September 2024 federal criminal indictment.
While a then-unspecified settlement (since revealed to be $20 million) was announced in Cassie’s lawsuit on Nov. 17, 2023, the day after it was filed—”I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” she told NBC News—her harrowing allegations of rape, beatings and being forced to engage in sex acts with male escorts was followed by dozens of civil complaints from other Combs accusers.
In response to questions about the timing of her legal move, coming years after she cut ties with Combs personally and professionally, Cassie told the New York Times, “With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.”
Combs pleaded not guilty at trial and denied wrongdoing in both his criminal and civil cases, as well as maintained that all of the sexual activity he engaged in was consensual. His attorney Ben Brafman said in 2023 that Cassie’s lawsuit was “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies.”
But Combs admitted to “inexcusable” behavior in May 2024 after CNN published a disturbing clip of hotel security footage from 2016 that showed him shoving and kicking Cassie in a hallway. Her lawsuit detailed an alleged incident that appeared to come to life in the footage.
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” Combs said in a subsequent video statement. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
In her first comment after the release of the hotel video, Cassie thanked the family, friends and complete strangers who had been supporting her.
“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” she said in a statement posted to Instagram May 23, 2024. “Domestic violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”
After Combs’ defense team unsuccessfully tried to get it excluded from evidence, alleging in a November 2024 motion that CNN “altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited” the tape so it didn’t depict “an accurate version” of events (which the outlet denied), the footage was viewed multiple times in court.
“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” her attorney Douglas H. Wigdor said in a statement praising his client after the split verdict, which saw Combs found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. “She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.”
After joining a chorus of former Combs associates who expressed concerns to the court about their safety should he be granted bail before his Oct. 3 sentencing hearing, Cassie was free to continue her healing journey. (Combs, who’s facing a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, remains in jail, Judge Arun Subramanian having denied multiple bail requests.)
After marking Father’s Day last year on Instagram (where she goes by Casandra Fine), the mom of daughters Frankie, 5, Sunny, 3, and now a 3-month-old son took a long break from social media before revealing in February that she was pregnant, purposely punctuating the post with a blue heart.
For Alex’s 32nd birthday in March, she posted about her model-actor spouse, “There aren’t words to describe how grateful I am that I get to do this life with you! The laughter and pure joy that I get to experience with you is beyond any of my dreams and manifestations. You’ve taken care of me and my heart like no other, you’re hands down the best girl dad and I’m SO excited to see you now become a father to OUR SON!”
Before the trial began, Cassie, who’s turning 39 on Aug. 26—two days before her sixth wedding anniversary—had been slowly easing back into the public eye, accompanying Alex to the respective March 27 and March 31 premieres of MobLand in London and New York.
It was no secret that she and Combs, who signed her to his Bad Boy Records label in 2006, had a tumultuous relationship, and after they broke up for good in 2018 Cassie referenced how stifling their partnership had been professionally and creatively.
“More than anything, I would say that my creative process has changed since working with a new team,” she told L’Officiel in 2019. “I feel supported so I make decisions based on what’s best for me. I used to spend the most time overthinking the smallest things and always worrying about how people felt that I neglected how I really felt and what would make me happy. I wasn’t creating from the heart. I’m still making sure that things are well thought out, but I’m doing what makes sense for my life. I’m just a woman coming into my own learning to trust myself. It’s empowering.”
Pregnant with her first child at the time, Cassie said she was hoping to be the type of mom who showed her daughter “that she can be whomever she wants to be” and knew she had “all of the love and support in the world.”
She added, “I hope to make her understand the bigger picture in life and that you don’t have to solely be one thing in this world. I want her to know that she can choose. My music is just part of a legacy that I wish to leave behind, for her and other women to be inspired by.”
She has yet to release another album since her 2006 self-titled debut, but has recorded her own songs—including 2019’s “Excuses” and “Don’t Let Go”—and collaborated on other artists’ tunes, such as Solange‘s “Way to the Show” and Black Coffee‘s “Time.” She has also continued to act and model, including for SKIMS in 2022.
“I was honestly just so excited to be asked to be a part of [it], it barely crossed my mind,” Cassie told Page Six of saying yes to the skin-baring campaign. “I’ve also come to a place of loving my body for all that it’s done for me and my family and embracing it for what it is.”
As for the prospect of returning to the studio, “I’m currently working on finding what’s next for me,” she told DScene Magazine toward the end of 2022. “Spending time with music I’ve never heard before and finding voices and sounds that move me.”
Career-wise, she explained, “My plans are to continue to create and to not think and just go. Music, acting, beauty and skin care to come. I am obsessed with music and what it does to and for people. I am so blessed that I get to meet new people daily that were moved by my music. I want to deliver things to the world that make people happy.
But she acknowledged that becoming a mom had “changed everything in the greatest way.”
“It humbled me, it made me selfless, it made me take care of myself even better,” Cassie said. “I was always so worried that I didn’t heal enough before they came into the world, but they are the healing. I’m grateful for my journey, but nothing compares to being Frankie and Sunny’s Mama.”
See more of Cassie and Alex Fine’s sweet family world behind the scenes:
Birthday Babes
For Alex Fine‘s birthday in 2020, he wrote “27 feels so blessed” alongside this pic with wife Cassie and their then-3-month-old daughter, Frankie.
Safe Travels
In September 2020, Cassie and Alex celebrated their first wedding anniversary with “a much needed road trip”. Alongside some pics on Instagram, she wrote: “It was Frankie’s first overnight stay away from our home and she loved it.”
Sweethearts
“Mom & Dad made it out. I Love My Forever Valentine,” Cassie wrote on some pics of the pair enjoying a 2022 Valentine’s Day party in Hollywood.
A Day at the Races
The couple and baby Sunny (who arrived in March 2021) got all dressed up for the 2022 Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Proud Papa
In January 2023, Alex beamed about his tiny dancers, writing: “Seeing how happy and beautiful my little ballerinas are is an experience that I could of never imagined. Being your dad is my favorite thing in the world!”
Daddy-Daughter Selfies
“Big Franks and Dada waiting for sunny bunny and momma lama,” Alex captioned this August 2023 IG pic.
Make a wish!
The singer celebrated her 37th birthday in style, captioning this 2023 pic “Best Birthday ever with some of my favorite people. Cake Decorations by Frankie & Sunny Fine.”
Say cheese!
The family got to make some funny photobooth faces while celebrating a friend’s wedding in 2023.
Surf Babies
The actor and celeb fitness trainer took his girls Frankie and Sunny out for some surfing practice in March 2024.
Family Vacation
The foursome enjoyed a sunny trip to Mexico in April 2024.
(Originally published May 12, 2025, at 2 a.m. PT)
