All The Details Revealed About The Diddy Allegations So Far
The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Sean "Diddy" Combs has left an indelible mark on the R&B industry, taking home three Grammys for his work. However, like many artists, he's had to navigate a scandal or two — some more controversial than others. Longtime fans will remember the New York Club shooting of 1999 in which Diddy was involved. At the time, Diddy was in a relationship with Jennifer Lopez. He was never convicted, but one of the people who got shot, Natalia Reuben, came forward in February 2024 to tell the public that Diddy was the person who shot her in the face, not his fellow rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, who ended up serving a 10-year prison sentence for the crime.
The shooting occurred after Diddy got into an altercation with a man at the club. Reuben claimed that, even though she told authorities that Diddy was the one who shot her, he managed to get out of the whole predicament by bribing witnesses.
Being accused of firing a gun at someone is enough to sink anyone's career, but Diddy managed to survive the scandal. Fast forward to 2024, however, Diddy finds himself at the center of several sexual misconduct allegations, which started pouring in during November 2023. While he's denied any wrongdoing, his Los Angeles and Miami mansions were searched by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations in March 2024. A source told NBC News that the raids were related to ongoing investigations against Diddy for alleged sexual assault, sex trafficking, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
Cassie Ventura made bombshell allegations against him
Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal troubles started when his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura, known mononymously by millennials as "Cassie," accused him of abusing and raping her while they were in a relationship. In March 2024, Cassie released a powerful statement in response to Diddy's home raids. Her lawsuit, which claimed that she was the victim of sex trafficking during her decade-long relationship with Diddy, paints a very dark picture. She alleged that, after she was signed to Diddy's record label at the age of 19, the rapper started to pursue her romantically. He went as far as to show up to her 21st birthday party uninvited, where he kissed her without her consent. Cassie said she felt trapped because Diddy held the keys to her success. Her lawsuit described Diddy as a "vicious, cruel, and controlling man [who] asserted complete control over Ms. Ventura's personal and professional life" (via CBS News).
Cassie also accused Diddy of sex trafficking. She alleged that she was forced to "engage in sex acts with male sex workers" (via The Guardian) and that she was provided with drugs to "disassociate during these horrific encounters." Cassie also accused Diddy of beating her so badly that she hid in hotels to heal. In 2018, Cassie reportedly tried to end things with Diddy but claimed he didn't take it well and raped her. Cassie ended up accepting a settlement offer from Diddy one day after filing her lawsuit.
Diddy has been accused of drugging and raping a college student
Casandra "Cassie" Ventura's lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs triggered a slew of other allegations from women who said the rapper did the same things to them. Joi Dickerson-Neal, like Cassie, took advantage of the New York State's Adult Survivors Act, which allows adult survivors of sex crimes to take their cases to court, no matter how long ago the crime took place.
Dickerson-Neal's lawsuit came shortly after Diddy settled with Cassie, plunging the rapper into yet another controversial news cycle. She accused him of abusing, sexually assaulting, and drugging her. Dickerson-Neal was introduced to Diddy by some of her friends and eventually made an appearance in one of his music videos. While she was a student at Syracuse University in 1991, Diddy asked her to dinner. Dickerson-Neal claimed that she wasn't really interested because she had heard whispers about his reputation with women but "reluctantly" agreed. "During their date, Combs had intentionally drugged (Dickerson-Neal), resulting in her being in a physical state where she could not independently stand or walk," according to the lawsuit (via USA Today). Dickerson-Neal claimed that Diddy took her to his house in her drugged state and sexually assaulted her. Diddy allegedly filmed the sexual encounter and spread it among his industry friends.
Diddy's spokesperson released a statement to TMZ denying the allegations, saying, "Ms. Dickerson's 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. ... This is purely a money grab and nothing more."
He's also accused of sexually assaulting a teenager
The same day Joi Dickerson-Neal filed her lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, another lawsuit was brought against the rapper by Liza Gardner. Gardner accused Diddy of sexually abusing her and a friend in the early '90s when she was just 16 years old, claiming that after the rapper abused both girls, he let fellow musician, Aaron Hall, do the same. "While at Hall's apartment, Liza Gardner was offered more drinks and was coerced into having sex with Combs. After Combs finished doing his business, Liza Gardner laid in bed, shocked and traumatized," the lawsuit read (via NBC News). It then detailed what happened in the aftermath, claiming that, while Gardner was getting dressed, Hall "barged into the room, pinned her down, and forced Liza Gardner to have sex with him." Her friend was allegedly subjected to the same abuse.
The lawsuit claimed that Diddy was worried Gardner's friend, who isn't named in the lawsuit, would tell his then-girlfriend what happened that night, so he paid Gardner a visit to speak with her friend. The interaction turned violent, with Diddy allegedly proceeding to choke Gardner until she lost consciousness.
Diddy's team told People the allegations were false giving an almost identical statement to People as they did to TMZ in response to Dickerson-Neal's lawsuit. "These are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute. This is nothing but a money grab," his spokesperson said.
Diddy's also facing charges of gang rape
For all Sean "Diddy" Combs' denials, the lawsuits against the rapper keep mounting. The fourth lawsuit that was brought against Diddy came in December 2023 and was filed by an unnamed woman who accused the rapper of raping her and then allowing his friends to do the same. Jane Doe, as the woman is referred to in the lawsuit, was only 17 at the time. She claimed to have met Harve Pierre, Diddy's friend and the former president of his record company, in a lounge in Michigan. Pierre convinced Doe to join him on a flight to Diddy's renowned studio, Daddy's House Recording Studio. There, she hung out with Pierre, Diddy, and a third man who's not identified in the lawsuit.
"[Combs and Pierre] preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang raped by the three individual defendants at Mr. Combs' studio," Doe's attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, wrote in a statement (via USA Today).
After this lawsuit was filed, Diddy finally stopped addressing the public through his spokesperson and took to Instagram to release a statement that doubled down on his claims that he was innocent. "Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged," he wrote.
There's also an ongoing sexual harassment suit against Diddy from his former producer
The fifth lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs was quite the blow for the rapper, as this time around, it was his former producer who filed the suit. Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, who worked on Diddy's 2023 Grammy-nominated album, accused Diddy of many of the same things as the other plaintiffs, including assault and sexual harassment. He also named one of Diddy's sons in the suit.
Jones' lawsuit claimed that he was drugged by Diddy on one occasion and found himself waking up the following morning, confused and naked, next to two sex workers with no recollection of what had happened. Jones also accused Diddy of engaging in "constant unsolicited and unauthorized groping and touching of his anus" while he worked for him (via NBC News). Jones said that he was horrified by Diddy's behavior and brought the matter to the rapper's chief of staff, who played it off as "friendly horseplay" and said Diddy's actions were his way of showing Jones he approved of him.
Jones claimed to be in possession of several videos that prove Diddy and his staff were involved in a slew of illegal activities. Jones also alleged that Diddy never paid him for his work on "The Love Album: Off The Grid." In a statement obtained by People, Diddy's lawyer, Shawn Holley, accused Jones of reckless name-dropping — even mentioning Prince Harry in the Diddy lawsuit — and called Jones a liar.
Diddy's former producer is also accusing him of sex trafficking
In the lawsuit Sean "Diddy" Combs' former producer, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, filed against him in February 2024, the producer accused the father of seven of being "forceful and demanding" (via NBC News) and coercing him into becoming involved with his sex trafficking business. Per the lawsuit, Jones was tasked with procuring sex workers for Diddy from an unknown establishment in Miami. Once Jones brought the sex workers to Diddy, the rapper would instruct him to engage in sexual acts with them while he watched. The producer's lawsuit is also said to contain photographic proof of Diddy hosting sex workers and underage girls at his establishments.
Jones alleged that Diddy intimidated him into doing his bidding and threatened physical violence when he tried to resist his demands. These allegations appear similar to those of Aubrey O'Day who hasn't been holding back on Diddy's legal turmoil. O'Day has been pretty vocal about Diddy's mistreatment of her while she worked with him on "Making the Band." She told Variety that "it was scary" working with the rapper. In his lawsuit, Jones admitted to being terrified of Diddy during his employment. "Mr. Combs consistently made it clear that he has immense power in the music industry and with law enforcement," the lawsuit detailed.
In the meantime, Diddy's spokesperson told TMZ that all those who have brought lawsuits against the rapper will come to regret it and will face legal action.
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).