Topline
Rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs on Sunday issued an apology for his behavior in a recently released video that shows him physically beating his ex-girlfriend in 2016, saying he later went to rehab, therapy and "asked God for his mercy and grace."
Sean "Diddy" Combs on Aug. 26, 2023.
Key Facts
Combs posted a short video to Instagram on Sunday morning saying he was “truly sorry” for his behavior on the video and said he is “committed to be a better man each and every day.”
He called the video, captured almost a decade ago, “disgusting” and said it was taken in “one of the darkest times” of his life.
CNN on Friday published a surveillance video from March of 2016 that shows Combs shoving, kicking and grabbing his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known professionally as “Cassie,” who went on to sue him for abuse and settled her lawsuit last year.
That case was one of several that have been filed against the rapper, including multiple civil suits in the last six months that accuse him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape—all of which he has denied.
The video—which shows Combs chasing Ventura through a hotel, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground before trying to drag her back to a hotel room–has been called "triggering" and an attorney for Ventura on Sunday slammed the apology as “disingenuous.”
Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, said at the time of Ventura’s lawsuit his client “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations" and accused Ventura of "seeking a payday."
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office called the video “extremely disturbing” and “difficult to watch” but said it will not bring charges because the apparent assault took place in 2016, beyond the statute of limitation for the crime in the state of California.
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Chief Critic
Meredith Firetog, one of Ventura's lawyers, said in a statement Sunday that “Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt…. 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.”
Key Background
Diddy and Ventura dated on and off from 2007 to 2018, starting when she was 19 years old. In a lawsuit filed in November seeking $30 million, she said she was beaten, raped and trafficked over the course of their relationship. The suit was settled one day after it was filed for an undisclosed amount. In the time since Ventura's lawsuit was filed, several other women have come forward with their own claims against Combs. A woman named Joie Dickerson-Neal alleged in a lawsuit that Combs drugged and raped her in 1991, also alleging the assault was filmed. An anonymous plaintiff separately accused Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall of raping her and a friend in the early 1990s, and another sexual assault suit was filed in December claiming Combs was part of the gang rape of a 17-year-old in 2003. In February, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a lawsuit seeking $30 million from Combs, accusing Combs of sexually harassing him, drugging attendees to his house parties and running a “sex-trafficking venture.”
Surprising Fact
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has said his production company is working to create a documentary about the rape allegations against Diddy. Jackson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, a clip of rapper Mark Curry—formerly of Bad Boy Records (the label Combs founded)—discussing partying with other musicians in clubs and explaining that Combs would spike bottles of champagne with “something to make the girls real, real slippery.” Proceeds from the film will be donated to victims of sexual assault, Jackson said.
