• Diddy's trial judge sharply criticized a lawyer who called prosecutors "a six-pack of white women."
• Mark Geragos, who is working with Sean Combs' legal team, spoke about the case on his TMZ podcast.
• The judge called the remarks "outrageous" in a closed-door meeting.

The judge overseeing the criminal sex-trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs sharply criticized a member of his family's legal team in a closed-door meeting, calling comments he made on a TMZ podcast "outrageous."

In a Tuesday morning meeting in US District Judge Arun Subramanian's robing room, the judge lambasted the lawyer, Mark Geragos, for describing the all-female prosecution team as "a six-pack of white women."

"When you say things on a podcast like 'six women, all white, my understanding is you've got a six-pack of white women,'" Submaranian told Geragos, according to a court transcript of the meeting. "Like that's not — that's something that you shouldn't — that no one should be saying as an officer of the Court and a member of the bar, right?"

Geragos — a criminal defense attorney who has represented Michael Jackson and Hunter Biden, among other boldfaced names — spoke about the Combs case on a Friday episode of "2 Angry Men," a podcast he co-hosts with TMZ founder Harvey Levin.

In addition to describing them as "a six-pack of white women," Geragos said the prosecutors mischaracterized a surveillance video where Combs beat his former partner Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway, saying Combs was upset because she took her phone.

"Have you ever had a situation where your significant other took your cellphone?" Geragos said on the podcast. "And does that take you from 0 to 60 really quick?"

Submaranian admonished Geragos for the comments about the prosecutors, saying he violated a court rule barring lawyers involved in ongoing cases from making "extrajudicial comments" about them.

It marks a rough start for the legal team in Combs' case. Prosecutors have accused the "I'll Be Missing You" singer of sexual abuse and racketeering, which he denies. Jury selection began this week, and the trial is expected to last up to eight weeks.

Geragos didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Until the Tuesday morning robing room meeting, Geragos's precise involvement in the case has been unclear. He sat among members Combs' legal team in the lower Manhattan courtroom during the jury selection process on Monday and Tuesday, but he has not formally filed an appearance in the case. Prosecutors addressed the ambiguity of his role in their letter to the judge on Tuesday morning. The letter pointed to his podcast comments and asked the judge to stop him from continuing to speak about the case.

In the robing room meeting, Geragos said he represents Combs' mother and talks with the hip-hop mogul "with great frequency."

Geragos told Subramanian that he believes the rule forbidding "extrajudicial comments" has "been perverted over the years" and interferes with the right of defendants to receive a fair trial. He also said he has refrained from criticizing the lawyers who represent the women who have accused Combs of sexual assault.

"I think when you've got a black man who's being prosecuted and the client feels like he's being targeted, it's a — it's an observation," Geragos said.

"I think this is ridiculous," Submaranian snapped back. "I think referring to the prosecution in this case as 'a six-pack of white women' is outrageous."

One of the prosecutors, Mary Slavik, said that Geragos's podcast had millions of subscribers and that his remarks could reach jurors in the case.

"This TMZ podcast that Mr. Geragos is a part of has several million subscribers," she said. "The danger of Mr. Geragos's statements infecting the jury pool, I think, is very serious."

Submaranian said he would be monitoring "2 Angry Men" for additional comments Geragos may make about the case.

"You have one more listener for your podcast," the judge said.

"As long as you subscribe, I'm all for it," Geragos responded.

• Federal prosecutors want a judge to admonish a lawyer helping Diddy, who also co-hosts a TMZ podcast.
• The attorney, Mark Geragos, said on his "2 Angry Men" podcast that Sean Combs has a "violent temper."
• Geragos appeared to be clued in, correctly predicting another legal hire Combs would make.

Federal prosecutors asked the judge overseeing Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial to admonish a lawyer advising his defense, arguing it was inappropriate for the attorney to discuss the case on his TMZ podcast.

The lawyer, Mark Geragos, co-hosts the "2 Angry Men" podcast with Harvey Levin, the founder of TMZ.

In an episode posted online Friday, Geragos discussed a key piece of evidence expected to be shown at trial — a security video showing Combs beating his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel hallway — and described it as "character assassination."

"You give the prosecution props," Geragos said on the podcast. "It's a prosecution by proxy."

Geragos said footage of the video that previously aired on CNN was edited in a misleading way.

The original footage, a version of which is expected to be shown in the trial, may back up a version of events presented by Combs's lawyers, he said.

"I've known Sean for a long time. He has a violent temper, especially when you combine it with the drug use," Geragos said on the podcast. "But that isn't what he's charged with."

In court, Combs's legal team has said that Ventura hit Combs in the head during an argument and then left the hotel room with a bag of his clothing, leading him to chase her in the hallway.

"Have you ever had a situation where your significant other took your cellphone?" Geragos said. "And does that take you from 0 to 60 really quick?"

Geragos hasn't filed court papers indicating he's representing Combs. But he has been in the courtroom sitting with Combs's legal team during jury selection on Monday and Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Geragos's "apparent role as an advisor to the defendant and the defense team" means his podcast comments violated a rule about lawyers giving "extrajudicial statements" while the case is ongoing.

"The need for the Court's admonishment is necessary given that as recently as three days ago, Mr. Geragos spoke at length about the trial in this case in his podcast called '2 Angry Men,' Mr. Geragos's podcast with Harvey Levin, the creator of the tabloid news organization TMZ," prosecutors wrote in their Tuesday letter.

Combs has appeared to be deeply involved in the jury selection process. On Tuesday, he was in constant conversation with his two lawyers beside him and nodded when particular jurors told the judge they believed they could serve fairly.

On the podcast, Geragos said he would continue to discuss the Combs case in future episodes. Neither Geragos nor representatives for TMZ immediately responded to Business requests for comment from Business Insider.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have accused Combs of sex trafficking women, using the resources of his record label and other businesses to stage "freak offs" — elaborate, drug-fueled sexual performances. He has denied the charges and all allegations of sexual abuse.

Ventura, who dated Combs for about a decade, is expected to testify in the criminal trial as a victim. Combs previously settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit she filed against him.

In the "2 Angry Men" podcast episode, Geragos discussed other elements of the case, including what he expected from jury selection and how the prosecutors would handle the case.

"You've got a six-pack of white women," Geragos said of the all-female prosecution team.

He also said he hasn't been able to get information from his daughter Teny Geragos, an attorney at the law firm Agnifilo Intrater, who is representing Combs and has formally filed the appropriate papers to do so.

"You raise it through college and you get nothing," Levin joked.

"I can put it through college and I get not only nothing, I get a lot of pushback," Mark Geragos responded.

Nonetheless, during the Friday podcast episode, Geragos appeared to be clued in on the case behind the scenes.

According to Levin, Combs' legal team "really, really wanted to get a female Black lawyer — I think for kind of obvious reasons" but weren't able to hire one.

Geragos pushed back.

"Well, I'm telling you, I'm not so sure that you're right. I'll leave it at that," Geragos said. "I'm not going to speak out of school, but I've heard very strong rumors."

On Tuesday afternoon, another lawyer filed an appearance to represent Combs: Nicole Westmoreland. She is Black.

Westmoreland previously represented Quamarvious Nichols, a codefendant of rapper Young Thug who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in Atlanta last year.