Who is Thalia Graves, the woman whose terrifying story may seal Diddy’s fate?

Warning: This article references and discusses sexual assault, violence, and non-consensual pornography. This may be potentially triggering for some readers.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Bad Boy empire is crumbling, and his pleas of innocence may no longer be enough to save him. In a new development, a woman has taken direct aim at the 54-year-old music mogul.

Rapper and record producer Diddy has been ordered to remain in custody until his federal trial in New York after his arrest on Monday, Sept. 16. The once influential and iconic music mogul is now facing federal charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Though the arrest is fresh, the indictment was the result of numerous lawsuits filed months prior, along with other accusations of misconduct, sexual assault, gender violence, and other “serious illegal activities.”

Though he pleaded not guilty before the court on Tuesday, Combs’ bail was denied and he is instead being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York on “procedural” suicide watch. While speaking to CNN, Shea Rhodes, director of the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, said in this regard that the denial of bail might give “other survivors the courage to come forward.” And that is exactly what has happened.

Thalia Graves, a 48-year-old woman has alleged that Diddy and his bodyguard drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2001

In a new lawsuit filed Tuesday, Sept. 24, in New York federal court, a 48-year-old entrepreneur Thalia Graves alleged she was drugged and raped by Diddy and his bodyguard Joseph Sherman when she met them through her boyfriend, who worked at his Bad Boy record label in 2001. In a press conference held in Los Angeles on Sept. 24, Graves was joined by the high-profile attorney Gloria Allred when she elaborated on the whole ordeal to the public.

Graves revealed how she first became “lightheaded, dizzy and physically weak,” after accepting a glass of wine while in a car with Combs and Sherman, and later woke up at a Manhattan studio with her hands tied behind her back on a pool table. According to the lawsuit, Combs entered the room, sexually assaulted her, and when she tried to resist, smashed her head against the pool table. Afterward, Sherman also assaulted her while she struggled to remain conscious.

Combs “warned” Graves to be silent, causing the latter to change cities multiple times

According to the legal complaint, Graves woke up in Combs’ office after the brutal assault, naked. Graves stated that she was “terrified of what Combs would do to her and her family” and chose to keep quiet even though a friend picked her up and drove her to the hospital to report the crime.

Graves further stated that in the years that followed, Combs had contacted her and advised her to “be silent.” In fear of the worst, Graves moved from New York City to Pennsylvania “to stay away from Combs.” (via PEOPLE)

Diddy had also allegedly recorded the assault and sold the footage as pornography

Graves’ attorney, Allred, alleged in the lawsuit that Combs and Sherman also recorded the assault and later “published and/or disseminated the videos without the Graves’ knowledge or consent on information and belief.” However, Graves only learned about the recording in Nov. 2023. Reflecting on how the disturbing ordeal has affected her over the years, Graves said,

“The internal pain after being sexually assaulted has been incredibly deep and hard to put into words. It goes beyond just the physical harm caused during the assault. It’s a pain that reaches into the very core of who I am leaving emotional scars that may never fully heal.” (via Newsweek)

The woman then continued to reveal how the trauma of the assault has taken a toll on her mental health. “I have PTSD, depression, and anxiety. I am emotionally scarred,” she said. Though she expressed relief over the fact that Diddy is in custody, she called it a “temporary feeling of relief.” Graves currently works as an entrepreneur in the fashion and beauty industry and is also a successful influencer. She called the lawsuit a step towards “recovery and healing.”