Warning: This article details multiple allegations of sexual and physical abuse.
Sean Combs, better known by his stage names Diddy, P. Diddy, and Puff Daddy, made a fortune as a record executive and producer in the 1990s before becoming a musical performer in his own right. Though he was once recognized for his achievements in the entertainment industry, Diddy’s reputation has taken a nosedive due to legal trouble — to put it lightly — and a seemingly never-ending string of sexual misconduct allegations.
Diddy’s has been in legal hot water before. As early as 1991, an oversold charity event organized by the music mogul was the scene of a crowd crush where nine people lost their lives. In 1999, Diddy pleaded guilty to harassment when he was initially charged with assault against Nas’ former manager during a dispute over a music video. That same year, he and his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Lopez (yes, they really dated), were arrested after an altercation in a club. Diddy was charged with possession of a firearm but was later acquitted of all charges.
Sexual and physical abuse allegations surfaced in late 2023
Legal troubles and allegations as serious as being involved in Tupac’s murder followed Diddy throughout his career but he remained relatively unscathed until late 2023 when “Me & U” singer Cassie Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against the mogul. In the suit, Ventura accused Diddy of years of violent and sexual abuse after she signed to his label Bad Boy Records.
While the two were in a relationship between 2007 and 2018, Ventura alleged Diddy would force her to participate in what he called “freak-offs,” where he would watch her perform sexual acts with sex workers. She alleged Diddy pressured her to stay in the relationship and provided her with “copious amounts of drugs” to keep her compliant. After successfully leaving him in 2018, Ventura claims Diddy allegedly forced his way into her home and raped her.
Diddy denied all of the allegations but settled with Ventura the day after she filed the suit, which, let’s face it, does make him look guilty. The floodgates then opened and a wave of allegations came crashing down on Diddy, beginning with several lawsuits from women alleging further sexual assault and abuse. Diddy continued to deny the allegations, taking to Twitter to complain of character assassination after another woman filed a lawsuit accusing Diddy of sex trafficking as a minor.
Further allegations and raids by law enforcement
In February 2024, music producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones accused the star of forcing him to hire sex workers and run drugs after initially hiring him to make music. One month later, Diddy’s homes were raided by the Human Trafficking Task Force division of Homeland Security Investigations due to allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering. At this point, Diddy stopped personally denying his alleged crimes and hired lawyers to do it for him. One such lawyer, Aaron Dyer, called the raids “a gross overuse of military-level force” and “nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
Things took a turn for the worse for Diddy (or the better from the perspective of the alleged victims) when CNN published a video of him physically assaulting Ventura in 2016. Though he had denied Ventura’s claims in 2023, he uploaded a video to Instagram apologizing for his actions and claimed he was “disgusted” by his behavior. An attorney for Ventura responded to the video by saying:
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, [Diddy] denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
Diddy’s arrest and what comes next
After months of speculation, Diddy was arrested on Sept. 16 2024 for charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. After his arrest, a 14-page indictment containing details of the allegations against him was unsealed. This included a list of the items seized by law enforcement during the raids, including firearms, ammunition, narcotics, and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil for some forsaken reason. In a court appearance the day after his arrest, Diddy pleaded not guilty. His defense’s request for him to be released on $50 million bond was denied after a judge believed no condition could sufficiently ensure Diddy would not threaten or harm witnesses.
Diddy’s trial is set to begin May 5, 2025.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
