Celebrities are weighing in following the recent arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The music mogul was taken into custody in New York on September 16. The following day, a 14-page indictment alleging that Diddy “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him” was made public. The rapper has since entered a not guilty plea for charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
A New York judge denied Diddy bail on September 17, and he will remain in custody pending trial.
Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo maintained that Diddy is innocent in an interview on CNN’s The Source With Kaitlan Collins.
“He’s innocent. I believe he’s innocent. I believe he’s innocent of the charges,” he said during the September 17 episode. “He is going to go to trial. And I believe he’s going to win.”
A Timeline of Diddy’s Legal Troubles, Accusations and Arrests
As Diddy’s legal battle continued, members of the music industry have spoken out about his arrest and subsequent charges. Keep scrolling to read the biggest reactions:
Aubrey O’Day
The former Danity Kane member, who has been outspoken about Diddy in the past, appeared to react to news of Diddy’s arrest on September 16.
“The purpose of justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter,” she shared via her Instagram Story. “Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just for me.”
The singer added: “Things are finally changing.”
Dawn Richard
A second former member of Danity Kane also spoke out.
“We applaud the grand jury’s new indictment of Sean Combs, which is strikingly similar to the federal complaint we filed last week on behalf of our brave client, Dawn Richard,” attorney Lisa Bloom said in a statement to Us Weekly on September 17. “Given the brutal beating of Sean Combs’ girlfriend caught on video and the eight people who have now accused him of abuse in court filings, including Dawn, this arrest seems long overdue.”
She previously filed a lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of manipulating, terrorizing and sexually abusing her. At the time, Diddy’s attorney Erica Wolff released a statement on his behalf.
“It’s unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him,” it read, in part. “Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court.”
Foxy Brown
The rapper shared her thoughts via her Instagram Story, writing, “S— ’bout to really get crazy!!!” on September 17.
50 Cent
He appeared to take a shot at Diddy in a September 17 social media post.
“Here I am keeping good company with @thedrewbarrymoreshow and I don’t have 1,000 bottles of lube at the house,” the rapper captioned a photo alongside Drew Barrymore. The “lube” comment appeared to be related to the “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant” that Homeland Security seized from Diddy’s homes during a raid this past March, as stated in this week’s indictment.
Breaking Down the 5 Most Shocking Claims From Diddy’s 14-Page Indictment
Charlamagne Tha God
The radio host discussed the alleged “Freak Offs” that were described in Diddy’s indictment during The Breakfast Club radio show on September 17. (“Freak Offs” were alleged hotel room parties hosted by Diddy in which women would be forced to “engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”)
“If he gets racketeering and sex trafficking for ‘freak offs,’ it will be others involved. Like if you ever ran a train with Diddy, you’re probably going to jail,” the comedian speculated. “If you ever been butt naked anywhere with Diddy or half butt naked with Diddy and there was some women around or some men around that he told you were part of the party, you’re probably going to jail.”
‘The View’ Hosts
Whoopi Goldberg called Diddy’s 14-page indictment “extensive and disturbing” during the show’s September 17 episode. Sunny Hostin said Diddy was involved in “mob-like behavior,” referring to the indictment.
“They’re describing a criminal enterprise that involved trafficking of underage people across state lines to have sex, and they dubbed them ‘freak offs,’” she continued. “They raided his homes and found 1,000 vials of lubricant. They raided his home and found narcotics.”
Kesha
The singer made a TikTok video reacting to the news of Diddy’s arrest using her song “TiK ToK” that featured the new lyrics, which are a diss to Diddy. She debuted the new version at Coachella earlier this year. (The original lyrics read, “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.”)
“Wake up in the mornin’ like, ‘F— P. Diddy,” the song said while Kesha held up her middle finger to the camera and smiled before blowing it a kiss.
Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow
While the former rapper claimed that Diddy “destroyed” his life in a press conference, he added, “But do I take any joy or any satisfaction with what he is going through? Absolutely not.”
LL Cool J
Speaking to Sky News at the 2024 Black Music Action Coalition in Beverly Hills, California on September 19, the rapper said of Diddy, “I feel for his children. The rest, I can’t speak on. That’s what we got a court system for. But I feel for his kids.”
Flavor Flav
Asked by Sky News at the 2024 Black Music Action Coalition in Beverly Hills, California on September 19, to give his thoughts on Diddy, Flavor Flav said, “You know what? I’m gonna tell you. When anybody asks me my opinion on Diddy, you know what my opinion is? I have none.”
Soulja Boy
The rapper shared his thoughts via X on September 21. “If Diddy ever tried me like any of these gay rappers I would have killed his bitch ass,” he wrote, seemingly referring to the “Freak Offs” detailed in the indictment.
Damon Dash
The Roc-A-Fella records cofounder addressed a resurfaced photo of him attending a party hosted by Diddy with Jennifer Lopez and Jay-Z. “I didn’t go to those parties,” he said in an Instagram Live on September 22. “I went to one in the Hamptons about 20 years ago with Aaliyah and that’s about it. But a lot of people were at those, you know what I mean?”
The mogul continued: “Ain’t s— happen in the Hamptons. That’s the day I met [Aaliyah]. We hung out there and then we left and that’s what happened. That was 20 years ago, that was not in L.A. or Miami. I know they’re gonna play games with those pictures. It’s all good, I don’t really care.”
He went on to call Diddy’s arrest “sad” and “shocking,” adding, “People will sit there and watch people do things that could be immoral, but until they get caught, no one says anything. Whether it’s illegal or immoral for me I just break out, I don’t wait for people to get busted. I don’t wait for someone else to say that they’re doing something wrong.”
Romeo Miller
The rapper and actor spoke to TMZ about Diddy’s arrest on September 23. “From my experience, I would say that you’ve always got to apologize if you do wrong in any way. You’ve got to go to that person behind closed doors and try to make it right,” he said. “Nobody’s perfect, but justice always comes around. So you have to do your best part when you know you messed up or effed up, try to make it right. God forgives all, but humans, it’s a little bit harder for us to forgive. … We all make the bed that we lay in.”
Ray J
“We’ve all been around him, at least in my era, and have looked up to him,” the singer said during a September 20 appearance on NewsNation’s Cuomo. “And this situation is super unfortunate, but it’s important to learn a lesson right now and ensure the next generation understands how to move differently with transparency and integrity.”
Katt Williams
The comic shared his joking reaction to the arrest via his Instagram Story. “Diddy about to snitch on everybody,” he wrote in late September, captioning an AI-generated clip riffing on the 1991 film New Jack City. In the edited version, Diddy’s face replaced Wesley Snipes in the famous courtroom scene where his character, Nino Brown, identifies his associates.
Wendy Williams
“What is really weird is that I have been told by so many people, ‘Wendy, you called it,’” the former talk show host told the Daily Mail on October 1 when asked about Diddy’s scandal. “Including some people from my family who have said the same.”
Williams said it’s “about time” that Diddy’s actions were brought to light. She recalled seeing the video of Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie (real name Cassandra Ventura) go around the internet, calling it “just horrific.” (Cassie sued Diddy last year, accusing him of rape and abusing her during their relationship. They settled out of court in fall 2023.)
She noted seeing that video made her wonder, “But now you have to think, how many more times? How many people? How many more women? It’s just so horrible.”
