Everything We Know About The Diddy Allegations

The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Entrepreneur and rapper Sean Combs, a.k.a. 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. 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, so we'll be breaking down the allegations against the music mogul.

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, who confirmed the story and defended Ventura.

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.

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.

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."

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 alleged 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 claimed 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.

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 claimed 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. She remembered saying "stop." Heartbreaking.

Though Diddy has publicly denied any wrongdoing since the multitude of accusations against him were revealed, he only filed one official motion of response in February 2024. This pertained to the case of Jane Doe No. 3. According to Billboard, Diddy claimed 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.

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 sex workers 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 claimed that Jones traveled and even lived with Diddy from 2022 to 2023. 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 claimed 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 has also been reported that the filing included photos of underage girls  and sex workers and the illegal drugs that were given to them.

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.

Amid all of the damning allegations, multiple famous women, like songwriter Tiffany Red and designer Kimora Lee Simmons, spoke out against Diddy and 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.

On March 25, 2024, Fox 11 was first on the scene to report that the Los Angeles home of Sean "Diddy" Combs was raided by Homeland Security Investigations. It was later reported that his home on Star Island in Miami was being raided concurrently as well. HSI explained that the raid was in connection with an investigation of a federal sex trafficking case.

"Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners," the agency wrote in a statement. HSI was searching the music mogul's home for items like flash drives, hard drives, and laptops; anything connecting him to the allegations made in previous lawsuits as it pertained to sex trafficking. An agent added that a search warrant of this magnitude was difficult to obtain, and it most likely took some time to get it signed off on.

Some of Diddy's adult children were said to be in the LA home when the search was underway and were detained but not arrested. Aaron Dyer, Diddy's attorney, made a statement that included the following: "There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name."

Following the very public and serious Homeland Security raid of his homes, Diddy remained tight-lipped. Many were surprised when he emerged in public just days later, on March 28, 2024, in Miami with his twin teen daughters, Jessie and D'Lila Combs. The trio was seen leaving Topgolf for an evening golf outing, and paparazzi caught Diddy throwing up a peace sign while his daughters were all smiles. No signs of worry or stress for the artist formerly known as Puffy.

On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, less than a week after the incident, Diddy took to his Instagram to post a series of pictures of his adorable baby daughter, Love, who was born in October 2022. There was no mention of the global headline that stunned the world or anything about his very public demise. "HAPPY EASTER from Baby Love," was the Instagram caption. The toddler was certainly a distraction from the negative press, but Diddy still wisely limited the comments section.

A week later, the Bad Boy Records founder posted yet another picture of Love, this time on a mini-trampoline. The caption for this post read, "BABY LOVE," in all caps. He still had the ability to comment on his post turned off — very telling.

In April 2024, Diddy's legal team shot back at one of his accusers, Joi Dickerson-Neal. His legal team filed a motion to dismiss some of the claims from her lawsuit, which alleged that he drugged and assaulted her in 1991 while she was in college. According to documents obtained by USA Today, Diddy's attorneys stated that certain claims in the suit were "brought under laws that didn't exist and against companies that were not formed" when the alleged assault occurred, therefore, the lawyers were filing a motion to dismiss.

His companies, Bad Boy Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, and Combs Enterprises, were named as defendants on the civil lawsuit, but the companies were not formed until at least 1992. His legal team also noted that even though Dickerson-Neal filed her lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act — a law which allowed the one-year window for victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits — this does not allow her to "revive claims under statutes that did not exist." This was in reference to the allegations of revenge porn and sex trafficking. Amidst the court was deciding on this motion, Diddy uploaded a quote to his Instagram: "time tells truth."

A woman named Grace O'Marcaigh filed a civil suit against Diddy's son, Christian Combs, in April 2024. The lawsuit alleged that in 2022, Combs forced O'Marcaigh to drink shots of tequila, before assaulting her. O'Marcaigh worked as a bartender and crew member on a yacht leased by Diddy (where the alleged assault took place), according to the court documents. The young woman also claimed that she obtained an audio recording of Christian Combs forcing her to take the tequila shots, even asking him "if he was drugging her," to which he replied, "Take the shot." The lawsuit also named Diddy and actor Cuba Gooding Jr. as partygoers on the yacht, as well as various sex workers.

If five civil suits weren't enough for Diddy, in May 2024, a sixth accuser came forward. Crystal McKinney, a former model, filed a lawsuit claiming that in 2003, she was drugged and assaulted by the disgraced music mogul. McKinney alleged that she met Diddy in New York City at a Men's Fashion Event, where he promised to help her with her career. She claimed he pressured her to drink alcohol and smoke something that she came to believe was laced. When she became disoriented, the former model alleged that Diddy forced her to perform sex acts but later passed out and woke up in a taxi, then realizing she had been assaulted. She believes Diddy had her "blackballed" from the modeling industry.

An incredibly disturbing 2016 hotel surveillance video was released by CNN on May 17, 2024, appearing to corroborate specific allegations made by Diddy's former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The horrific video shows Diddy running after Ventura down a hotel hallway in only a towel. Ventura looked as though she was trying to leave the hotel, but Diddy caught up and attacked with her multiple kicks, then attempting to drag her down the hallway.

Ventura's civil suit allegations match the assault that was caught on camera by the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. Ventura alleged that Diddy became intoxicated and gave her a black eye, which prompted her to try and leave the hotel. The lawsuit also stated that he began grabbing "glass vases" from the hallway and throwing them at her, which was also captured in the video. Diddy reportedly paid $50,000 for this footage, but was not aware that Ventura obtained a copy as well. 

Ventura bravely spoke out about the violent incident via Instagram on May 23. "Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become ... This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me."

Many wondered how Diddy could possibly come back after the hotel security footage of his vicious assault on Cassie Ventura. His past social media posts like the "time tells truth" quote, or the statement claiming that he "sat silently while people attempted to assassinate his character," appeared to age poorly after the leak of the assault. Diddy took to his Instagram to issue an apology with the caption, "I'm truly sorry."

"It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that," he began. "I was f***ed up — I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. Had to go into therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to be a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry."

The public was unimpressed, claiming that he only apologized because he was caught. Peter Hyatt, a forensic deception statement analyst, tells Nicki Swift exclusively, "His use of the word 'you' and 'your' in his apology is distancing language." Hyatt also noted Diddy's phrasing that "he had" to ask God for his mercy — he didn't want to, he "had" to. One could argue that this was a disingenuous apology.

Entrepreneur and rapper 50 Cent has been very vocal from the beginning about the damning allegations against Diddy, with "trolling" social media posts and interviews. 50 Cent previously announced that he would be producing a docu-series about the "Bad Boy for Life" rapper called, "Diddy Do It?," and has been teasing the documentary since the November 2023 civil suits emerged.

In May 2024, 50 Cent posted on X that after an intense bidding war, the rights to his project went to Netflix for an undisclosed amount. He also added that "if more victims come forward, he's going to need more episodes." The reaction from his followers regarding the announcement was very supportive. "We love and support you, @50Cent," a user wrote. While the release date for the highly anticipated streaming show is unknown, 50 Cent previously stated that the proceeds from the docuseries would go to help victims of sexual assault.

Sadly and not shockingly, a seventh woman came forward in May 2024 with another lawsuit against the music mogul. She alleged that when she was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she was drugged and assaulted by Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The woman, April Lampros, stated in her lawsuit that Diddy wanted to "mentor" her in the fashion industry after meeting him in 1995. In one of the more graphic and disturbing lawsuits, Lampros claimed that she met Diddy at a bar in SoHo where he over-served her and brought her back to his hotel where she was unable to fight him off. She woke up "nude, sore, and confused," and she didn't hear from the fallen rapper for months. When he reached back out months later, Lampros described herself as "naïve" and gave him another chance, with him promising her "access to music industry events." She alleged that while walking to his parking garage, he forced her to perform oral sex. A parking attendant allegedly witnessed the assault, but did nothing to help her.

After Lampros refused to see him again, she compared his behavior to a "mobster's." He would allegedly threaten her career if she did not comply with his demands, forcing Lampros to have relations with his then-girlfriend Kim Porter, and he eventually assaulted her again. Lampros also detailed how Diddy and Porter had her fired from the restaurant she worked at after they cut ties.

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."

If you or anyone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).