Top 10 Dark Truths About Diddy's Life

Raised by his mother Janice, Diddy barely knew his father Melvin Earl Combs, a U.S. Air Force veteran. Diddy’s mom led him to believe that his dad died in a car crash around his third birthday. As Diddy grew up, though, he noticed that the name Combs had a reputation on the streets of Harlem. Doing his own research, Diddy realized that his father was a drug dealer, working for the infamous crime lord Frank Lucas. Half of what Janice told her son was true. Melvin did die in a car, but it wasn’t an accident. Diddy’s father was reportedly gunned down in his vehicle when a deal went south. Janice concealed the truth, fearing her son may follow the same criminal path.

Janice Combs worked multiple jobs to provide for her son and daughter, living in a New York public housing development. According to Diddy, money was so tight that when he asked for a new pair of sneakers, his mom was practically moved to tears. His family’s financial struggles became especially apparent one night while his aunt was babysitting. Diddy claims that he woke up with roaches covering his face. At this exact moment, Diddy decided to pursue a better life for his family. Diddy fulfilled his life goal, becoming one of music’s most lucrative names. By 2022, Diddy’s net worth reached an estimated $1 billion. Within the next two years, Diddy’s rags-to-riches story took an unexpected turn with his living conditions becoming less than ideal again.

In December 1991, Diddy helped organize a fundraising basketball game at the City College of New York gymnasium. Heavy D and Boyz II Men were just some other performers in attendance. Although the gym could only hold around 2,700, an estimated 5,000 showed up. People started to force their way in as fights broke out and attendees were trampled over. In the deadliest case, one group became trapped between the walls and the doors near the bottom of the stairs for 15 soul-crushing minutes. Nine lost their lives and almost 30 others endured injuries. While several lawsuits were filed, no criminal charges were pursued. Jason Swain, who lost his brother in the stampede, called it “karma” as Diddy’s legal issues escalated in 2024.

Beyond music, Diddy built up his brand through numerous business ventures. In 1998, he launched Sean John, a fashion and lifestyle company. Five years later, Sean John was accused of using ​​a Honduran sweatshop, subjecting workers to inhumane conditions. These included supplying tainted beverages, lengthy hours without overtime pay, and nonnegotiable body searches. Women were also required to take pregnancy tests and would be fired if positive. Reported wages ranged from 15 cents to 24 cents per article of clothing sewn. This controversy did little to hurt Sean John’s image. It even won CFDA’s Menswear Designer of the Year award the following year. The brand made hundreds of millions over the decades, although in 2023, Macy’s announced they’d be phasing out the Sean John line.

Diddy’s on-and-off relationship with actress/model Kim Porter lasted almost 13 years. The two had four children, including twin girls born in 2006. Around this time, Diddy fathered another daughter with Sarah Chapman. In the wake of this revelation, Porter ended things with Diddy for good. It wasn’t the first or last time Diddy was suspected of infidelity. After almost two years together, Jennifer Lopez broke up with Diddy, certain he was cheating on her. While she never caught him in the act, Lopez said, “It was the first time I was with someone who wasn’t faithful.” Throughout their 11 years together, Diddy and Cassie both accused each other of having affairs. Of course, Cassie made even more concerning accusations after they broke up.

Speaking of Lopez, her relationship with Diddy is primarily remembered for the 1999 shooting incident. Two days after Christmas, the couple were seen at a Manhattan club with fellow singer Shyne. Diddy and Shyne were accused of entering an altercation with criminal Matthew “Scar” Allen, resulting in gunfire. Shortly after, Diddy, Shyne, Lopez, and bodyguard Anthony “Wolf” Jones were arrested. While Lopez was ultimately released, Diddy and Shyne were among those charged. Although witnesses testified against Diddy, he was acquitted along with Jones. Shyne didn’t get off so easily, being sentenced to ten years in prison, serving roughly nine. He’s since turned his life around, becoming a politician in Belize. Shyne forgave Diddy, but he stated in 2024 that the music mogul “destroyed [his] life.”

Founded by Diddy in 1993, Bad Boy Records has a reputation for mistreating artists, including Shyne. Mase and Dawn Richard accused Bad Boy of withholding royalties. The latter’s lawsuit also alleges that Diddy committed copyright infringement and sexual assault. When hip hop trio the Lox wanted out of their contract, Bad Boy refused to budge. Their “Free The Lox” campaign eventually made Bad Boy comply, although the trio claimed Diddy retained 50% of the publishing rights. Black Rob felt betrayed by Bad Boy, saying the label, “left [him] for dead.” In a more literal case of left for dead, R&B group 112 says Diddy ditched them in a blizzard. Whether or not a “Bad Boy Curse” exists, many regret making a deal with Diddy.

In September 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down, succumbing to his injuries almost a week later. While there have been numerous conspiracies surrounding this murder, LA detective Greg Kading accused Diddy of offering gang member Duane “Keefe D” Davis $1 million to take out Shakur and manager Suge Knight. Although Knight survived, Kading theorized that he had The Notorious B.I.G. assassinated six months later in retaliation. Combs chalked up Kading’s claims to “pure fiction.” In 2023, Davis was arrested for Shakur’s murder after almost three decades. Davis previously implicated Diddy in the hit on Shakur and Knight. Nevertheless, the Las Vegas police never considered Diddy a serious suspect. Davis’ word alone won’t hold up in court, but a shadow of doubt remains.

From threatening business partner Kirk Burrowes with a baseball bat, to punching Nas’ manager Steve Stoute, to assaulting partygoer Gerard Rechnitzer outside a nightclub, to attacking football coach Sal Alosi, to sexually harassing former chef Cindy Rueda, Diddy’s history of alleged violence was already infamous by the time Cassie Ventura filed her 2023 lawsuit. Yet, Ventura’s claims and the corroborating video evidence proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. More people soon pursued legal action against Combs. A few weeks after Combs’ arrest in September 2024, over 100 others joined in new lawsuits asserting abuse. Many of them are being represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who claims that more than 3,000 people have approached him about Diddy’s alleged crimes.

Just as Sean Combs has gone by multiple names, the same can be said about his “parties.” They’ve been called “Puffy parties” and “Diddy parties.” Amid Diddy’s downfall in 2024, they came to be publicly known as “freak off parties,” allegedly involving sex workers, drugs, and many bottles of baby oil, among other fluids. Not everyone who participated in these so-called “parties” was of age. Some would argue that these gatherings weren’t “parties” so much as they were sex trafficking, which was among the charges brought against Combs. Various A-list celebrities have been linked to Combs’ “parties” over the years. While we may never know everything that occurred behind closed doors, the guest list paints the parties as the worst-kept secret in the industry.

Is there a dark truth about Diddy we missed? Let us know in the comments.