Kitty Taylor
CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of Sexual Assault and Violence
On the 16th of November 2023, Diddy’s former girlfriend Casandra Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing the rapper of horrific attacks and abuse against her that left her with ‘black eyes, bruises and blood’. Little did she know, her courage in coming forward would set the ball rolling for over one hundred victims to be able to speak up against the shocking abuse received at the hands of Diddy.
The American rapper and producer, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, has been a part of the music industry for over 30 years. As well as his music, he is also known for throwing lavish parties with star-studded guest lists including the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Travis Scott. The star had built an empire for himself and had accumulated a loyal entourage. Diddy saw himself as an unstoppable force, declaring that ‘whatever I want, I have to get.’ But now, this empire is crumbling around him as the world has become exposed to the heinous crimes that he has committed over the years.
Once model Casandra Ventura had filed her lawsuit against Mr Combs, three more lawsuits were filed against him just over a week later detailing sexual attacks against multiple women that dated back to 1991. His reputation was already tarnished at this point, yet Diddy still claimed to be innocent of these crimes, despite this, the lawsuits continued to roll in. One in particular came from Diddy’s inner circle. In February 2024, Music producer Rodney Jones accused the rapper of ‘unwanted sexual contact and forcing him to hire prostitutes and participate in sex acts with them.’ He also details how Mr Combs tried to “groom” him into having sex with another man, telling him it was “a normal practice in the music industry”. Once again, Diddy denied this.
it could be argued that this allowed more people to feel as though they could speak out against the rapper and tell their own stories
However, in May 2024, CNN leaked video evidence that shows Combs assaulting Ventura just as she had described back in November. Although the nature of this footage was deeply upsetting and disturbing, it in turn added weight to all of the other accusations that had been made against Diddy. It could be argued that this allowed more people to feel as though they could speak out against the rapper and tell their own stories. Following this, model and actress Crystal McKinney filed a lawsuit claiming that Combs had drugged her and forced her to perform sexual acts on him back in 2003; only 2 days later another lawsuit was filed by April Lamos who recounted a string of sexual assaults between 1995 and 2000 whilst she was a student.
All of these events led to Diddy’s arrest on the 16th of November in New York City, and the following day; he was charged with Racketeering conspiracy, Sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. It was then that the details of his ‘freak offs’ were released, which reports described as non-consensual, “elaborate and produced sex performances” that Diddy would tape. Sometimes, they would allegedly last for days on end.
120 people who were suing Combs for sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and rape
However, the story does not end there. Even after his initial arrest and detainment, on October 1st, lawyer Tony Buzbee stated that he was representing 120 people who were suing Combs for sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and rape. These clients were both men and women and some were even minors. This abundance of accusations should be more than enough to imprison Diddy for life. However, his fate will not be decided until May 2025 which is when his trial is due to take place.
The details of the rappers’ crimes are disgusting, shocking and downright vile; this leads me to pose the question that is on the tip of the world’s tongue: How did Diddy get away with this for so long?
this aura of wealth and power allowed him to evade accountability, as he cultivated a large, loyal entourage that followed him blindly, enchanted by his status
Beneath the glitz and glamour of fame often lies a dark side in which the celebrities that we idolise, abuse their status and power. The entertainment industry has historically enabled such behaviour. Due to it being such a competitive business, many people will do whatever it takes to succeed within it. The hierarchical nature of the industry allows those in positions of influence to exploit these individuals and abuse their power. This is precisely what Diddy has done. From the moment that he stepped on to the music scene, Diddy was a trendsetter. He not only excelled in music but also had a successful clothing line, perfume line and even his own brand of vodka; ‘he connected people to a different kind of glamor and aspiration and brought hip-hop into a different place in the world.’ It is exactly this that allowed him to get away with his crimes. This aura of wealth and power allowed him to evade accountability, as he cultivated a large, loyal entourage that followed him blindly, enchanted by his status. This allowed Combs to use these followers in his own ‘criminal enterprise’. It is this coercive and manipulative behaviour that we must be wary of when it comes to people in power. Combs’s demanding nature was no secret but for so long was dismissed as part of an act to secure his place at the top. However, in reality, it was a sign of his abuse of authority. It is essential that this kind of behaviour is called out and dealt with so that those people in powerful positions cannot get away with such a gross display of abuse again.
My heart goes out to all of the people affected by Diddy’s horrendous actions, and I truly hope that they receive the justice that they deserve.
Kitty Taylor
Features image courtesy of Ekaterina Belinskaya via Pexels. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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