Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs decries Netflix series by 50 Cent as ‘shameful hit piece’ | Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs
Sean “Diddy” Combs has landed a splashy new Netflix docuseries about his life and many legal troubles, executive produced by longtime rival 50 Cent.
The former Bad Boy Records executive and hip-hop star, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related charges, called Sean Combs: The Reckoning a “shameful hit piece” and accused Netflix of including stolen footage.
The four-episode series, which premieres on Netflix on December 2, aims to offer “a startling examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted criminal,” including never-before-seen footage of Combs and his inner circle in years. A new teaser released Monday includes a clip of Combs on Sept. 10, 2024, as the walls of his federal sex crimes trial draw closer.
“We’re losing,” he says in a hotel room, cell phone in hand, looking for “someone to work with us, to do the dirtiest jobs.”
The disgraced music mogul claims, through a spokesperson, that the footage was illegally obtained, including “private moments, pre-indictment material regarding an unfinished project, and conversations involving legal strategy.”
“Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never allowed to air,” the statement said. “As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been accumulating footage to tell his own story in his own way since the age of 19. Netflix’s misuse of this work is fundamentally unfair and illegal.
“None of this was obtained from Sean Combs or his team, and their inclusion raises very serious questions about how this material was accessed and why Netflix chose to use it,” the statement said, claiming Combs’ legal team had been in contact with Netflix. The statement was included.
Combs’ response, in which he accused the series of 50 Cent’s “personal revenge” against him, came hours after 50 Cent promoted the series on Good Morning America with director Alexandria Stapleton. They didn’t discuss how they obtained the footage, but Stapleton assured the Hollywood Reporter that “the footage was obtained completely legally.”
When asked whether his involvement in the series was motivated by a longstanding, if low-stakes, personal rivalry — 50 Cent released a diss track mocking Combs in 2006 — the rapper demurred.
“It’s nothing personal,” he said, offering a nobler intent: “If I hadn’t said anything,” he said, the world might have thought “hip-hop is okay with the way it acts. There’s no one else making any noise.”
In a statement announcing the series, Stapleton said the project offers “a mirror.” [reflecting us] What are we saying as the public when we put our celebrities on such a high pedestal? I hope [this documentary] “It’s a wake-up call about how we idolize people and understand that everyone is human.”
After a wild federal trial over the summer that featured emotional testimony from Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie detailing years of abuse, Combs was convicted of two lesser charges, including providing transportation for prostitution and flying girlfriends and male sex workers across the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters. He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have led to a life sentence.
Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison in October. He is serving his sentence in New Jersey and is scheduled to be released in May 2028, but could earn sentence reductions through his participation in substance abuse treatment and other prison programs. Yet his legal troubles remain: Just last month, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department announced it was investigating a new sexual battery allegation against him that involved a flashing and sexual assault incident from 2020.
