While Sean “Diddy” Combs has fervently denied ex-girlfriend Cassie’s rape and assault allegations, multiple women have come forward with similar claims of alleged misconduct by the music mogul.
Us Weekly confirmed in November 2023 that Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura) filed a lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of rape and repeated physical abuse that lasted nearly a decade. Cassie and Diddy dated off and on from 2007 to 2018.
“After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships,” Cassie said in a statement.
Cassie’s attorney Douglas Wigdor also alleged that Diddy offered his client “eight figures” in a bid to “silence her.” Cassie denied his supposed payday.
Diddy refuted Cassie’s allegations in a statement provided by his lawyer. “Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Ben Brafman told Us. “For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail. Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
Following Cassie’s complaint, several other women came forward with new or past accusations, including Danity Kane’s Aubrey O’Day and Kimora Lee Simmons.
Keep reading for more details about the allegations against Diddy:
Cassie
Cassie’s lawsuit came with a “trigger warning” notice at the top, noting that her claims contained “highly graphic information of a sexual nature.” Cassie asserted in her filing that Diddy often tried to control her when they were dating by taking drugs, physically hurting her and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes on camera. She also claimed that Diddy forced his way into her home in 2018 and sexually assaulted her.
According to Cassie, Diddy also threatened to blow up Kid Cudi’s car. Cudi, who Cassie started dating during one of her splits from Diddy, corroborated her claims to The New York Times. Cudi’s rep asserted that the rapper’s vehicle did explode after Diddy’s warning.
Diddy denied all of Cassie’s claims.
One day after filing the lawsuit, Cassie confirmed to Us through her attorney Douglas Wigdor that she and Diddy had reached a settlement.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” the November 17 statement read. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Diddy also released a statement distributed through Window, telling Us, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Kimora Lee Simmons
In 2004, a then-pregnant Simmons was profiled by New York magazine when she attended the Manhattan City Center’s benefit performance of The Owl and the Pussycat. The interview referred to an alleged previous incident where “Kimora said something to Combs and he threatened to hit her.” Per the profile, Diddy “eventually got down on his knees” to publicly apologize.
Kimora Lee, who was married to Russell Simmons at the time, accepted Diddy’s apology. “I respect him for being a fierce entrepreneur and I appreciate knowing that everything he does is emulating my husband,” she told the outlet.
Gina Huynh
Huynh, also known as Virginia V, claimed during a 2019 interview on “Unwine With Tasha K” that Diddy physically assaulted her at one point during their five-year relationship.
“He stomped on my stomach really hard — like, took the wind out of my breath,” she alleged. “I couldn’t breathe. He kept hitting me. I was pleading to him, ‘Can you just stop? I can’t breathe.’”
According to Huynh, Diddy also grabbed her by the hair and started “punching” the back of her head. “He was mentally, emotionally and physically abusing me. He would always compare me to Cassie and tell me that I’m the bad one, she’s a good one,” added Huynh.
Diddy never publicly addressed Huynh’s claims.
Aubrey O’Day
O’Day first crossed paths with Diddy when she auditioned for his MTV series Making the Band 3. Diddy chose her to start Danity Kane alongside Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex, D. Woods and Aundrea Fimbres. The girl group was immediately signed to Diddy’s label Bad Boy Records. During Making the Band 4, Diddy revealed that O’Day had been kicked out of the band but claimed there was no bad blood.
O’Day previously told Us her side of the story in July 2019.
“Diddy broke us up in the height of our fame on national television, on MTV,” she claimed to Us. “I want to talk about what we’re going through because I think what Danity Kane has gone through since then is so powerful for women, for people, for artists. We have had to learn everything the hard way since we were broken up by [Diddy] on national television.”
During a 2022 interview on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, O’Day claimed she was fired from Danity Kane because she “wasn’t willing to do what was expected of [her] — not talent-wise, but in other areas.” In September 2023, O’Day further claimed that Diddy asked her to sign an NDA in exchange for Danity Kane’s publishing rights.
“I have to release him for any claims or wrongdoings or actions prior to the date of the release,” she alleged on the “OnlyStans” podcast. “I have to sign an NDA that I will never disparage Puff, Bad Boy, [Diddy’s mom] Janice Combs, or Justin Combs Music, or EMI, or Sony ever in public.”
O’Day has since been a vocal advocate for Cassie following her lawsuit.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
