The arrest of Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, has rocked Hollywood to the core.
The rapper was arrested last month after being under investigation for close to a year.
Following the allegations made against him, Combs has been charged with crimes related to s** trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; drug possession and firearm offenses.
It has been claimed that the 54-year-old was able to use his employees, resources, and influence to create a ‘criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, s** trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice,’ per Sky News.
The music producer has been accused of hosting ‘freak-offs,’ described as ‘drug-fueled, days-long s**ual performances’ that Combs allegedly coerced women into and filmed for his own pleasure, per BBC.
In November 2023, Combs’ ex-partner Casandra Ventura known by her stage name, Cassie, filed an explosive lawsuit that claimed he had been s**ually and physically abusive to her.
It stated that the rapper would beat his ex-girlfriend, and force her to have relations with other men. The suit also accuses the star of r***.
According to her civil lawsuit, Cassie met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. The pair were together, on and off, for over a decade, and the relationship ended in 2018.
The ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ singer settled Cassie’s lawsuit within a day. Since then, several more have sued Combs, accusing him of a wide range of abusive behavior.
Federal agents raided Combs’ properties in Miami and Los Angeles in March of this year. He was later arrested at a hotel in Manhattan following a grand jury indictment.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said in a statement to the Daily Mail that he was ‘disappointed’ with the decision to ‘pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.’
“Diddy is an imperfect person but is not criminal,” he continued.
In a 1999 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Combs made comments about the parties he hosted: “They’re going to probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time.
“Whenever you bring up a different element into people’s environment, things that broaden people’s horizons, people get intimidated. It’s a lot of people out there that feel intimidated by it,” the rapper added.
Many celebrities have previously commented on just how ‘wild’ and ‘weird’ his parties were, with actor Ashton Kutcher claiming in a 2019 episode of Hot Ones that there was a lot that he couldn’t say about them.
Since his arrest, people have been combing back through Combs’ friendships with certain celebrities, and his relationship with Justin Bieber has since resurfaced.
Fans have been left feeling concerned about what he might have experienced at such a young age.
One fan writes: “Justin whenever you’re ready to tell your story. We’re here for you.”
Another adds: “Why did no one question why a man was wanting to hang out with a child.”
“Justin was so young and innocent, I hope Diddy didn’t hurt him,” a third replies.
When Bieber was just 13, he was signed to Raymond Braun Music Group, a joint venture between former marketing executive Scooter Braun and singer Usher, according to Forbes.
It was during his first brush was fame that Bieber was introduced to Combs.
Videos of the pair together have since resurfaced, many of which have raised eyebrows.
In a video that Bieber uploaded to his YouTube channel in 2009, when he would have been 15 years old, Combs announces that Bieber is spending ’48 hours with Diddy,’ saying, ‘where we’re 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,” Diddy says. “You know, he’s signed to Usher and I had legal guardianship of Usher when he did his first album. I did Usher’s first album.
“For the next 48 hours, he’s with me. And we’re gonna go full. Buck full crazy. Let’s go get some girls.”
Over the years, Bieber has been seen less frequently with Combs.
Now, Us Weekly claims that a source close to Bieber revealed that the singer is in a ‘hard place mentally right now.’
The source also added: “He has such a history with Diddy and the allegations against him have been hard to process.”
The ‘Beauty And The Beat’ singer recently celebrated the birth of his first child with his model wife Hailey Bieber, whom they have named Jack Blue.
The source said: “His happiness being a dad has outweighed his anxiety about Diddy.”
Page Six spoke to an industry insider who they claim worked with Bieber’s team for years.
They said: “He was a teenager. He was the biggest pop star in the world. Everyone was worried about him, and we didn’t know if he would survive it. People took advantage of everything he did.”
“Family members are concerned about Justin. It’s unclear whether Diddy would have taken advantage of Justin at the time as his family was nearby, and his manager Scooter Braun really did care about him,” the insider shared.
Sean Combs’ trial is set for May 2025.