“Wait, he didn’t just spell the word “Rapper” and leave out a P. Did he?”
Rapper Sean Combs (also known as P. Diddy or Puff Daddy) is in hot water following his arrest on Sep. 16 finding himself caught in the center of a sex-trafficking case.
Due to speculation, rumors and allegations, mass confusion easily spreads in the media. It’s often hard to differentiate the theories from the truth.
So what do we know for sure?
Tuesday morning, a 14-page indictment was unsealed, listing all of the charges against Combs. With word spreading of his wild parties and even wilder after-parties, charges consist of racketeering, assault, sex trafficking and organizing sexual activities that often involve multiple people under the influence of drugs and forcing women to engage in sexual activity with male prostitutes.
The indictment states “Combs and the victims typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use.” The indictment also mentions firearms. “Members and associates of the Combs Enterprise, including Combs’ security personnel, at times carried firearms. On more than one occasion, Combs himself carried or brandished firearms to intimidate and threaten others, including victims of, and witnesses to, his abuse.”
Prior to this case, Combs had 11 previous lawsuits. He denied all of them. Among those charges is one from Comb’s former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. She filed her case in November last year, accusing Combs of rape and abuse.
Additionally, in Feb 2024, producer Rodney Jones alleged that he was forced into unwanted sexual activity with workers hired by Combs. With this statement, he also detailed that Combs regularly hosts “sex-trafficking” parties with underage women, causing Combs to be the subject of attention for most reporters and media outlets right now.
On Sep. 17, a memo was filed accusing Combs and others of plotting to set fire to an anonymous person’s car, which has now come out to be Kid Cudi’s car, as confirmed by his team.
In another claim on Sep. 24, Thalia Graves filed a lawsuit after she said Combs gave her a glass of wine that left her feeling dizzy before she was raped while unconscious.
Regarding his parties, strangely enough, in his indictment, it was revealed that 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant were found during raids of Combs’ home. His team made a statement disputing that number, but admitted that it was a decent amount considering “there is a Costco right down the street. I think Americans buy in bulk, as we know,” Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilio said [New York Post].
What’s being speculated?
People online are forming opinions, conspiracies, or theories about people involved in attending these parties and where they fit into this case. Many of the names mentioned have decided not to speak on such subjects, and not much has been proven about attendees.
One theory circulating on social media is the conspiracy that Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Combs are related to, if not responsible, for the deaths of celebrities Aaliyah, Left-Eye from TLC, and Michael Jackson. This even appears as a lyric in a famous J. Cole song “She Knows” which recently disappeared from his YouTube channel. No evidence has come out that these theories are correct, but rather coincidental.
One of the most far-fetched theories that have many people talking is the theory that Kanye West was “protecting” Taylor Swift after interrupting her award reception speech in 2009. Fans online have noticed that most artists who win an award with Beyonce in the category give her some sort of credit for her work. Again, with no evidence to support this theory, it’s unlikely, but still has many heads spinning.
Names Mentioned as Attendees:
There have been many named as party attendees, including Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Ashton Kutcher, Usher, Kid Cudi, Leonardo Dicaprio, Paris Hilton, Howard Stern, Russell Brand, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Russell Simmons and Meghan Fox with no proof of actions.
Amongst the most surprising names is Ashton Kutcher, even though there has been no clear evidence against him. He runs “Thorn,” the nonprofit that defends children from sexual abuse. Years ago, Kutcher appeared on the show Hot Ones and said “I’ve got a lot I can’t tell” in reference to Combs’ party stories.
Justin Bieber is back in the center of the public eye now that his name has come up, considering he is viewed as one of the industry’s and Combs’ biggest victims. When Justin Bieber was signed with Usher, a video came out on his YouTube channel where he spent “48 hours with Diddy.” “He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. I have been given custody of him. He’s signed to Usher when he did his first album. I don’t really have legal guardianship of him, but for the next 48 hours, he’s with me. And we’re gonna go buck fool crazy,” Combs said in the video. Many think that Bieber was particularly focused on protecting Billie Eilish on her rise to stardom from a young age, as he said in 2020, “I just want to protect her. I don’t want her to go through anything I went through. I don’t wish that upon anybody.” [Zane Lowe]
What’s next in this case?
While Combs awaits his trial, he appealed for release from jail, a decision made by a federal judge. This request for bail was denied, as reported yesterday. He is currently in the Metropolitan Detention Center. According to Combs’ attorney, he is ready to testify. The next “status conference” is scheduled for Oct. 9. Until then, we will still have all the theories, memes, and headlines to fuel this story.
