He was often likened to a modern-day Jay Gatsby by media outlets, referring to none other than Diddy, the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, Puffy, and P. Diddy, at the turn of the millennium. Already a prominent rapper, record mogul, and businessman who had profoundly altered the hip-hop landscape, he seemed to shape the culture according to his will. The vibrant White Parties he hosted from 1998 to 2009 not only attracted A-listers but also solidified their status. He was a kingmaker.
"Musically, he was incredibly beloved and an incredibly important part of the culture," said Touré, a music journalist, and culture critic.
However, like Gatsby, there was always a darkness simmering beneath the glamorous facade of his life. Violence, rumors, and legal battles followed Diddy, born Sean Combs, even during the peak of his influence, but nothing impeded his rise. Now, five lawsuits have been filed against the 54-year-old Combs, accusing him of decades-long patterns of sexual assault, vindictive and violent behavior, and sex trafficking. A separate lawsuit accusing his son Christian Combs of sexual assault names Sean Combs as a co-defendant. In late March, the Department of Homeland Security raided several homes owned by Combs.
As news of the federal raids broke, many celebrities who attended his parties and individuals he propelled to fame remained mostly silent. The Washington Post contacted over 40 such individuals, but they declined to comment on the disgraced mogul.
"It's hard not to think that there are a lot of people who at least had some clue as to what was going on and that they've chosen to protect him," said culture critic Jamilah Lemieux. "Money can buy a lot of silence. If you can pay people to keep quiet, you can get away with a lot."
Combs has not been charged with any crimes, and he has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Federal authorities have chosen not to comment on the investigation's status.
Should he eventually face charges, his downfall, like Gatsby's, would have been gradual but then swift, as rumors and discreet accusations transform into lawsuits, raids, and a collapse of his business empire.
"When a powerful Black man is accused of these kinds of crimes, there are many who desperately want to believe that he is the victim of some sort of plot to bring him down," Lemieux remarked. She noted how many people were silent about or defended R. Kelly before his downfall. "I think there are people who will continue to hold Diddy in the same esteem they always have because of what he's achieved."
"Men are not judged by their relationships with women," she added.
On November 16, 2023, R&B singer Cassie, Combs's former girlfriend, filed the first of five lawsuits against him, alleging sexual assault. Two lawsuits accusing Combs of rape were filed in New York County court. The other three, which allege Combs of human trafficking in addition to sexual assault, were filed in the Southern District of New York's federal court. Cassie, who was once signed to Combs's label Bad Boy Records and whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, detailed in her lawsuit the sex parties, known as "freak-offs," that Combs allegedly organized. According to the lawsuit, Combs would fly in male sex workers for her and his employees, whom he would compel Cassie to have sex with, and he would give Cassie a cocktail of drugs including ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, marijuana, and alcohol. Cassie said she routinely needed an IV of fluids the day after to recover.
She also claimed that he physically abused her throughout their 11-year relationship and exerted total control over her life. In 2012, Combs was allegedly so enraged by Cassie's brief relationship with Kid Cudi that during Paris Fashion Week, he told her he would blow up Cudi's car. The lawsuit claims Cudi's car then exploded in his driveway around that time, a claim Cudi's spokeswoman confirmed to the Post. In response, Combs' attorney accused Cassie of blackmail, citing a previous demand of $30 million under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship before filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies. The lawsuit was settled the day after Cassie filed it for an undisclosed amount. "Mr. Combs' decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims," his lawyer said at the time.
Four more suits were filed in the following months
One was from a Jane Doe who alleges that Combs and others coerced her to fly from Detroit to New York City to hang out with him at his studio in 2003, when she was 17. There, she claims, Combs and two others got her intoxicated "to the point that she could not possibly have consented to having sex with anyone" and raped her.
Another was from Rodney Jones, a music producer who worked on Combs's most recent project, "The Love Album," who claims Combs forced him to "solicit sex workers and perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs" at sex parties from 2022 to 2023 and threatened physical violence if he didn't comply. He also accuses Combs of having underage girls at these sex parties.
Several lawsuits allege that Combs would film these sexual encounters, and two accused him of using the videos to control those involved.
Combs vehemently denies all charges. "He views these lawsuits as a money grab. Because of Mr. Combs' fame and success, he is an easy target for accusers who attempt to smear him," Combs' attorney said in a statement. "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," Combs wrote on Instagram.
On March 25, the Department of Homeland Security raided Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami as "part of an ongoing investigation." Homeland Security Investigations did not comment further. Combs' attorney called the raids "a gross overuse of military-level force" and "a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits."
Christian Combs and his father have denied any wrongdoing. In April, their attorney said the most recent lawsuit was the latest in a pattern of "lewd and meritless claim[s]" from a lawyer whose tactics, he noted, were criticized by a federal judge in a separate case.
As Combs's star dimmed, he remained defiant. Tabloids published photos of Combs biking around Miami Beach. In one, he is seen flashing a bright smile and a peace sign.
On April 5, after the news cycle had peaked and began to fade, he posted to Instagram the nearly eight-minute music video for his 1997 song "Victory." He spends most of the video fleeing from the police.
"Bad Boy For Life," read its caption.
Combs was born in Harlem in 1969 to Janice Combs and Melvin Earl Combs, a dapper man who drove limos for New York drug kingpin Frank Lucas.
Combs described his father as a hustler and a drug dealer. In 1972, when Combs was a toddler, his father was murdered in a "drug deal gone bad," Combs said in 2014. His mother worked three jobs to support Combs and his