Investigation Discovery’s newest tell-all addressed Chris Brown‘s history of abuse allegations — so why is Sean “Diddy” Combs mentioned several times in the documentary?
Chris Brown: A History of Violence, which aired on Sunday, October 25, is part of the network’s No Excuse for Abuse campaign, which shines a light at complex dynamics of intimate partner violence with resources and programming initiatives.
The one-hour documentary examined not only Brown’s tumultuous relationship with ex-girlfriend Rihanna but the multiple incidents since, including several assault charges, lawsuits and rape accusations.
Diddy’s name came up throughout the documentary due to his previous friendship with Brown, 35. The now-disgraced music mogul, 54, supported Brown during the aftermath of his split from Rihanna, 36, which came after Brown was arrested for physically assaulting her.
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In another part of the film, Diddy’s name was mentioned again when a Jane Doe claimed Brown raped her. In the alleged victim’s lawsuit, the unnamed woman recalled meeting Brown at a party on Diddy’s yacht in Florida.
Four years after the alleged incident documented in the film, Diddy was indicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. After his September 2024 arrest, Diddy pleaded not guilty before being denied bail — he currently faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Diddy’s legal team has denied that their client was involved in any wrongdoing as he continues to be named in multiple sexual assault lawsuits. Meanwhile, Brown has been making headlines since he was charged for felony assault for harming Rihanna. Brown has continued to deny all allegations brought against him.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the biggest revelations made in ID’s Chris Brown: A History of Violence:
His History With Rihanna
After meeting in the music industry, Brown and Rihanna quietly started dating in 2008. Brown was charged one year later for physically assaulting Rihanna. He pleaded guilty to the felony and served five years of probation, as well as doing community service and attending domestic violence counseling.
Former sergeant from the Los Angeles Police Department Cheryl Dorsey discussed the incident in the film, saying, “[Chris was] driving, punching her with his right fist as he drives with his left hand. This goes on for blocks. … Her lip was busted and bruised. She sustained other injuries to her face as a result of her head being smashed repeatedly against the window.”
Several domestic violence advocates attempted to offer more context behind Brown and Rihanna’s history with abuse.
“When I unpack the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation, it is important that we understand that domestic violence doesn’t happen from nowhere,” Dr. Carolyn West, who is a domestic violence expert, said regarding Brown’s claims that his stepfather abused his mother. “What struck me is what we call intergenerational trauma. Being exposed to violence early in life can make it difficult for you to have the skillset to have healthy relationships later in life.”
The documentary included an interview where Brown recalled witnessing abuse in his house as a child. Broadcast journalist Sharon Carpenter claimed Brown also publicly stated that he was so “scared” as a child that he would “pee on himself” to avoid running into his stepfather.
“He was very close to his parents but things began to change for Chris when they split and his mother remarried,” Carpenter noted. “Even before what happened to Rihanna, Chris had done an interview speaking about how his mother dealt with abuse at the hands of his stepfather.”
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According to ID, Brown’s stepfather denied allegations that he abused his mom. West, meanwhile, tried to explain from the victim‘s perspective why Brown and Rihanna briefly reconciled after his arrest. “Perpetrators aren’t terrible all the time, so that is really what makes it hard for victims to leave — because it is confusing,” she shared.
Culture writer Scaachi Koul also weighed in on Brown and Rihanna’s relationship playing out in the public eye.
“Chris goes to court and during the sentencing phase Rihanna reveals this wasn’t the first time Chris abused her,” Koul recalled. “She alleged that one time in Europe, Chris shoved her into the wall during an argument and another time in Barbados they got into a fight and he smashed both windows in their car.”
Moving on With Karrueche Tran
Brown started seeing Tran after his split from Rihanna. Brown and Tran briefly called it quits when he reconciled with Rihanna in 2012.
“Karrueche said in an interview that there was one time she was at home with Chris and he said he was going to go to the store. She turns on the TV and he is court side with Rihanna,” Carpenter claimed in the doc. “Not long after, Rihanna called it off and he went back to Karrueche. She was someone who really stuck by his side through a lot.”
The couple dated on and off until 2014. Tran filed for a restraining order against Brown in 2017, citing allegations of physical abuse. The order was later extended and the documentary mentioned Tran’s claims that Brown punched, pushed and threatened her throughout their relationship.
Brown denied the allegations at the time.
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Getting Diddy Involved
“Chris has a history with Diddy,” Carpenter noted in the doc. “At around 12 years old, Chris had the opportunity to audition for Diddy. It didn’t go so well. Diddy didn’t sign him.”
Diddy, however, remained in Brown’s life, especially during his ups and downs with Rihanna. Community activist Dr. Michelle Taylor spoke about the connection, saying, “What is interesting about this is when you listen to Diddy’s account, he said he invited Chris and Rihanna to come to his home to have some time to work through things.”
In 2022, a woman going by Jane Doe sued Brown for allegedly drugging and raping her two years prior at a yacht party in Miami. In court documents, the woman claimed that the boat was parked at Diddy’s Star Island home.
“I think a lot of people had heard a lot of things about Diddy throughout the years,” Carpenter said in the doc in reference to Diddy’s arrest. “In 2020 he wasn’t being investigated.”
The unnamed woman ultimately participated in the doc — she only mentioned Diddy once, referring to him as “really nice” and welcoming.
Chris Brown’s Various Legal Issues
Investigation Discovery briefly touched on how Brown continued to be involved in various brawls and legal struggles since 2009. Two years after his incident with Rihanna, Brown was asked about the situation on Good Morning America and he subsequently threw a chair at a window before exiting the building. (Brown acknowledged at the time that an incident took place on the set of the morning talk show.)
In 2013, Brown’s probation was revoked after his involvement in an alleged hit-and-run incident. The charges were eventually dropped after a settlement was reached, and Brown served an additional 1,000 hours of community service.
Brown was arrested that same year for felony assault and spent 36 hours in jail. The charge was reduced to simple assault misdemeanor and Brown was released without bail and ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the man he was accused of assaulting.
After the 2013 incidents, Brown voluntarily entered a rehab facility before he was ultimately kicked out for violent behavior. At the time, his probation officer claimed Brown smashed his own mother’s car window during a family session. Brown was sentenced to three months at a live-in anger management rehab facility, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The legal issues kept on coming — the doc included an incident in 2015 where Brown allegedly assaulted someone. Footage from the police station showed the unnamed woman recounting what happened before returning five days later to say she “didn’t want to deal with the charges” because of how Brown allegedly encouraged his social media followers to reach out to her. (Brown denied her claims of assault at the time.)
Brown was also sued by his management team for alleged assault in 2016, which was settled out of court. That same year, Liziane Gutierrez claimed she was “punched in the face” by Brown — she filed a report but the Las Vegas police department decided not to press charges. During the doc, Gutierrez claimed she was offered a settlement.
“Chris Brown’s attorney denied these allegations,” read a statement in the doc. “He claims he never laid a hand on Liziane Gutierrez who he said was escorted from the premises after becoming disruptive and out of control and had been previously accused of similar behavior in other instances.”
In 2018, an unidentified woman sued Brown and two other people after she was allegedly held down and sexually assaulted in the singer’s home. She sued the trio for sexual battery, battery and assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Brown’s legal team denied the claims and police didn’t press any charge due to a lack of evidence. The Jane Doe filed a civil suit, which was later settled out of court.
Brown was accused by another woman of aggravated rape, which he denied — he then sued her for defamation.
In 2022, a Jane Doe filed a 20 million dollar lawsuit against Brown alleging that he drugged and raped her. She spoke out in the doc but asked for her face not to be shown on screen.
“Chris Brown raped me. I can say that and I know it for a fact instead of telling myself it wasn’t,” she said before explaining why she chose not to go public. “Even coming forward as a Jane Doe, people still found out who I was and I was attacked online.”
According to Jane Doe, she attended a party on a boat where Brown allegedly offered her several drinks. She claimed she started to feel strange, so they went somewhere more private on the boat where she allegedes Brown proceeded to rape her.
“Most girls would be happy to have sex with Chris Brown,” she said. “I didn’t want that. This is not what I wanted.”
The woman remained in contact with Brown for several years and referenced text messages and video calls. Producers of the documentary clarified in a title card that they didn’t have access to the texts or calls and couldn’t confirm their authenticity.
Attorney Ariel Mitchell was also interviewed for the doc — she recalled taking on the case but subsequently dropping it after Miami Beach police shared months of text messages between Brown and Jane Doe. According to Mitchell, there were messages in which the woman repeatedly asked Brown if she could see him again after the alleged rape.
The victim, for her part, maintained that the sexual assault happened and she continued to keep in contact with Brown because she struggled to come to terms with what happened to her. Brown denied any wrongdoing and a judge dismissed the case in 2022.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
If you or someone you know have been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
