Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted on a slew of federal charges in September, including sex trafficking, as details emerge about the hip-hop impresario’s “Freak Off” parties, sometimes lasting several days, involving drugs and sex workers. Since his arrest, Diddy-connected celebrities have been scrutinized for their possible involvement or, at the very least, if they knew about Diddy’s crimes.
Some of those famous people platformed Diddy in interviews, and in light of what’s now known, Diddy seemed on several occasions to speak openly about the crimes for which he is now charged, involving both men and women, and sometimes minors. Moreover, it now appears that Diddy’s crimes were an open secret in show business. One such example is Ellen DeGeneres, former host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, who is herself the target of toxic workplace allegations.
To that point, a Diddy-DeGeneres interview clip from 2018 has resurfaced online, and while it doesn’t prove DeGeneres knew about the crimes that Diddy is now accused of committing, the topic of their conversation and their body language is alarming. Meanwhile, in 2020, Diddy appeared in a DeGeneres segment for Fight All Monsters, a child cancer support group, and one comment Diddy made in particular is especially striking in light of the rap mogul’s recent allegations.
The DeGeneres “party” interview
In the 2018 Ellen DeGeneres and Diddy interview, DeGeneres chides the music executive for being late to her show and asks him if he’ll also be late to a party she has invited him to. “You know I have to arrive fashionably late,” Diddy responds. DeGeneres then says, not too late, and Diddy says, “When would you like me there?” DeGeneres then says, “I’ll tell you later. But not too late. ‘Cause, you know, once you get there the party really starts.”
Next, Diddy says, “I got you. I promise you I’m not gonna let you down on this big one, for real.” He adds, “Your feet are gonna have blisters. You’re gonna be dancing so hard,” and at the end of the clip, DeGeneres grabs Diddy’s finger, indicating a level of intimacy between the two celebrities. Again, the clip doesn’t prove DeGeneres knew what Diddy parties were like, but as one online comment points out, only now do people understand what that discussion could have been about.
Diddy mentioned his parties at least one other time to DeGeneres. In that interview, DeGeneres asks Diddy about his party lifestyle, and Diddy inquires why she never attends. When he mentions a late-night “after party,” DeGeneres raises her eyebrows knowingly and says, “Oh, I know about them.” She then pauses a beat for comedic effect as if to let the impact of her statement sink in.
Diddy’s “Love Line” number
Two years after the Diddy and DeGeneres’ 2018 party chat, Diddy was back on the show, along with children involved with Fight All Monsters, a non-profit supporting children living with cancer. Children in the segment were introduced while Diddy’s song “Bad Boy for Life” played, as they explained the song has special meaning to them as an anthem in their cancer fight.
As a surprise, Diddy appears on the show, and the children celebrate. Later on, DeGeneres mentions Diddy’s Making the Band reboot, and Diddy mentions his “love line,” where kids can call or text to audition. In an earlier version of the music talent show, Diddy mentored Dawn Richard, a member of Danity Kane who would go on to sue Diddy for sexual and physical abuse and misconduct while she was on the series.
How much did DeGeneres know?
None of this proves that Ellen DeGeneres was aware of Diddy’s alleged sex abuse and his drug-fueled “freak offs” with commercial sex workers. Nonetheless, DeGeneres and Diddy were certainly close, and there’s other video evidence suggesting stars at DeGeneres’ level were at least aware that Diddy threw wild sex parties. In 1999, Diddy told Entertainment Tonight those parties could get shut down. “They’re going to probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time,” he added.
Also, in 2016, two years before DeGeneres and Diddy discussed being late to her party, Usher, who lived with Diddy as a teenager in the 1990s while Diddy mentored his career, appeared on The Howard Stern Show. When Stern asked Usher about Diddy’s infamous parties, Usher responded, “I don’t know if I could indulge and even understand what I was looking at. It was pretty wild. It was crazy. There were very curious things taking place, and I didn’t necessarily understand it.”
DeGeneres, who has announced her pending retirement, has not so far commented on Diddy’s arrest. Only time will tell if she does, or if any firm evidence will emerge definitively linking her to, or proving she had any knowledge of, Diddy’s crimes.
