Everything We Know About The Diddy Allegations
The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Music mogul, entrepreneur, and rapper Sean Combs (aka Diddy) is used to making headlines, both positive and negative. Things seemed quiet for the Bad Boy Records executive for a while, until November 2023. The headlines that surfaced were beyond damning. Multiple women came forward and made incredibly heinous allegations of sex trafficking, assault, gang rape, and revenge porn (and that's the short list). This led Diddy to post on X, denying everything. "Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth."
Even so, the allegations began to mount, which began with his ex, Cassie Ventura. Clips of Diddy violently throwing things off his desk in his 2017 documentary resurfaced, with him screaming, "I'm a savage! Whatever I want, I have to get!" While Diddy has been involved in various past scandals (the Jake Robles 1995 Atlanta shooting, threatening his son's UCLA football coach, a 1999 weapons charge for an NYC club shooting, and a 2013 fight with fellow rapper J.Cole, to name a few). As disgusting and disturbing as the allegations are, Diddy is still innocent until proven guilty.
Diddy's ex Cassie Ventura made serious allegations
In 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the New York Adult Survivors Act, which created a "one-year lookback window for survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to sue their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred." Over 3,000 civil lawsuits were filed under this act, which expired at the end of November 2023.
It was through this act that Diddy's longtime ex-partner, Cassie Ventura, slapped him with an incredibly disturbing civil suit. According to the court documents, The "Me & U" singer claimed her former partner regularly kicked her, stomped her, and beat her, giving her black eyes. The suit also alleged he would frequently rape Ventura if she tried to leave him, forced her to engage in acts with other men while he filmed them, constantly reminded her how dangerous he was (forcing her to carry his gun in her purse knowing it made her very uncomfortable and nervous), and even alleged that he blew up another man's car after he showed "romantic interest in Ventura." By the way, the "other man" was rapper Kid Cudi.
It's worth noting that Ventura was only 19 when she met Diddy, who was 37 at the time. He quickly signed her to Bad Boy Records, which is allegedly where he first started to exercise control.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Diddy quickly settled with Cassie
Cassie Ventura's lawsuit was released to the public on November 17, 2023. By November 18, Diddy's team decided to settle with Ventura out of court. Could that be an admission of guilt? Diddy's lawyer, Ben Brafman, says no. "Just so we're clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. Mr. Combs' decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best," he stated (via NPR). However, Brafman went on to claim that Ventura was demanding $30 million and threatening to write a book on their relationship if he didn't pay up. According to Diddy's Forbes profile, he is estimated to be worth $740 million.
Ventura also made a statement, saying, "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support." It was assumed that Ventura was awarded the requested $30 million given the fast settlement, though its terms have not been disclosed to the public. Additionally, Ventura was previously offered an "eight-figure payout" from Diddy (so a number between $10 million and $99.9 million) to dissuade her from filing the civil suit in the first place. Diddy added that he wishes Cassie "all the best."
Two more women filed lawsuits
Things for Diddy seemed to be going from bad to worse. Only five days after Cassie Ventura bravely came forward (and one day shy of the New York Survivors Act's lookback expiration), a woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal filed a lawsuit alleging that she was "drugged, assaulted, and abused" by Diddy in 1991 when she was a Syracuse University college student on winter break. She alleges that the two met at a restaurant where she worked as a server and agreed to a date with him, according to USA Today.
She claims that he drugged her cocktail, then took her to his recording studio and eventually to his home — where she was completely out of it — and began to assault her. Dickerson-Neal also alleged that Diddy recorded the assault and shared it with others in the industry, labeling it "revenge porn." Davante Swing, of the hip-hop group Jodeci, admitted to watching the tape. USA Today also noted that Dickerson-Neal was demanding a trial with a jury.
The same day, another Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against Diddy and R&B singer Aaron Hall for an assault in the early '90s. Jane Doe No. 2 claimed that Diddy and Hall took turns assaulting her and a friend when they were passed out. According to Rolling Stone, the suit also stated that Diddy returned to her home days later and assaulted and choked her, worried she would disclose his behavior to the woman he was dating.
A third Jane Doe accused Diddy and Harve Pierre
If Diddy wasn't shaken by the first three allegations of sexual assault against him, he was about to be by another. This one allegedly occurred when the survivor was a minor. In December 2023, a third Jane Doe came forward and accused Diddy, his longtime Bad Boy CEO Harve Pierre, and an unnamed male friend, of gang rape in 2003 when she was only 17. To be clear, this is not the lawsuit brought forth against Pierre and Diddy by a former Bad Boy Records assistant (which alleged grooming and harassment), and technically was the fourth lawsuit filed within five days of Cassie Ventura's.
The details in the court documents for Jane Doe No. 3 are vile and agonizing to read and included photos to back up their claims. Jane Doe No. 3 claims she met Pierre at a lounge in Detroit, where he boasted about being best friends with Diddy. Doe alleges that Pierre convinced her to get on a private jet and travel to Bad Boy's Daddy's House Recording Studio in Manhattan. The lawsuit claims that prior to boarding the flight, Pierre smoked crack and forced her to perform oral sex. Doe then goes into troubling details about how she was given drugs and alcohol and was sexually assaulted by Diddy, Pierre, and their friend (in that order). She remembers saying "stop." Heartbreaking.
Diddy and Harve Pierre both filed opposing motions to Jane Doe No. 3
Though Diddy has publicly denied any wrongdoing since the multitude of accusations against him were revealed, he's only filed one official motion of response in February 2024. This pertained to the case of Jane Doe No. 3. According to Billboard, Diddy claims that her allegations compromised "his constitutional right to due process." Diddy's attorney claims in the filing (via People) that Diddy "never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever." Diddy and his team also questioned the validity of the photos Jane Doe included. Additionally, they requested that Doe No. 3 drop the suit, citing the Victims Gender-Motivated Violence Act. They claimed it to be "unconstitutional on its face, both substantively and procedurally." Pierre also filed a separate motion.
On February 29, 2024, Judge Jessica Clarke ruled that Jane Doe No. 3 was denied the request of proceeding with the lawsuit against the three men anonymously. If she wants to move forward, she will have to do so publicly, and both Diddy and Pierre's opposition filings will be under seal until Jane Doe No. 3's identity is revealed. Jane Doe No. 3 and her lawyers argued that going public would create traumatic press attention. Judge Clark cited that in the cases against Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, the plaintiffs were also denied the right to proceed anonymously.
A male producer comes forward in February 2024 with more allegations
On February 27, 2024, Diddy made another shocking headline when a male producer came forward and filed a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and misconduct. The male producer accused Diddy of forcing him to engage in sexual acts with prostitutes and participating in sexual assaults. Diddy's attorney, Shawn Holley, stated in the lawsuit (via The Associated Press), "We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them." The accuser was revealed to be Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, who had worked with Diddy on an album.
The lawsuit filed claims that Jones traveled and even lived with Diddy from 2022 to 2023. It appears to make claims similar to those the Jane Does made. Grooming was alleged, and per his lawyers, he "recalls waking up naked, dizzy, and confused." They added he woke up in bed with two male prostitutes and Diddy. He shockingly also named Diddy's son in the allegations, Justin Combs, who claims that Jones is just looking for a payday (Jones is asking for $30 million). Jones also named Universal Music Group in the suit, alleging they should have stepped in and stopped the illegal and nefarious activities, of which they were allegedly fully aware. It's also been reported that the filing included photos of underage girls and prostitutes and the illegal drugs that were given to them.
Diddy's ex Gina Huynh was the first to accuse him in 2019
What's incredibly terrifying about the 2023 and 2024 allegations is that in 2019, Diddy ex Gina Huynh spoke out on podcast "Unwine With Tasha K" about the horrifying abuse she had silently endured at the hands of the rapper. The allegations, once again, were strikingly similar. During his "on-again, off-again" relationship with Cassie Ventura, Diddy met fitness influencer and model Huynh. Huynh claimed on the show that when she was caught texting with a male, Diddy lost his mind and beat her. "He stomped on my stomach really hard — like, took the wind out of my breath," she told K (via Hot New Hip Hop). "I couldn't breathe. He kept hitting me. I was pleading to him, 'Can you just stop? I can't breathe.'" She went onto say that she tried to fight back, and he pulled her hair and began wailing on her head with his fist.
Huynh also claimed that when she became pregnant with his child, he offered her thousands of dollars to terminate it. She stated that while she did terminate the pregnancy, she didn't accept his money because she wanted to prove to him that she was the kind of woman that wasn't interested in his money; she genuinely loved him. "I turned [the money] down because I just loved him. ... I just cared about him. I just wanted him to be nice to me. That's it."
Other famous women in hip-hop like Tiffany Red and Kimora Lee Simmons spoke out
Amid all of the damning allegations, multiple famous women like songwriter Tiffany Red and designer Kimora Lee Simmons spoke out on behalf of the survivors. Red wrote an open letter (via Rolling Stone) that included contentious details about the night of Cassie's 29th birthday. The letter was titled "Sean Combs Traumatized Me" and detailed Diddy's verbal abuse of both women that night, calling Red an "emotional singing b****." Red also wrote: "She later told me you made her have a 'Freak Off' — which Cassie described in her lawsuit as an arrangement where you would make her perform sexual acts with male sex workers — that night. ... I am disturbed to my core by this."
Additionally, Simmons was famously best friends with the mother of three of Diddy's children, Kim Porter. Porter sadly passed away in 2018 at the age of 47 after a bout of pneumonia. On November 17, 2023, Simmons posted on her Instagram story (via Atlanta Black Star): "As you sow, so shall you reap." She posted this the same day Cassie filed her lawsuit; many viewed this as Simmons throwing shade at Diddy. On December 2, 2023, Simmons' house tragically caught fire while she and her children were inside. They all made it out safely, thank goodness. The internet pointed fingers at Diddy, although of course, there was no proof or evidence connecting him to the fire.
The fallout of the allegations
In 2024, Diddy was nominated for the best progressive R&B album Grammy Award — his first Grammy in two decades — for "The Love Album: Off the Grid." A petition started by the women's rights group UltraViolet circulated, begging the Grammy Awards to revoke his invitation and nomination. It stated, "Put the safety of survivors in the music industry first and rescind Diddy's invitation to the 66th annual Grammy Awards, ban him from future Grammy Awards shows and ban him from Academy membership." Though his nomination wasn't revoked, Diddy decided not to attend the show (he didn't win, either).
Additionally, Diddy's educational partnership with a charter school ended amid the lawsuits. "A decision has been made to end the partnership between Capital Preparatory Schools and Sean Combs," Dr. Steve Perry, the founder of the school stated (via Black Enterprise). Dr. Perry added that he did not take this decision lightly and it was in the "best interest of our organization's health and future."
Many were not shocked when Diddy's "frenemy" Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) stated that he will be making a documentary about Diddy and the allegations. 50 Cent has been trolling Diddy regularly on social media since Cassie's allegations were made public in November 2023, often deleting the posts after a few days. In the meantime, we'll just be over here waiting for a trial.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).