Celebrities comment on the recent arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The music mogul was taken into custody in New York on September 16. A 14-page indictment was released the following day, alleging that Diddy “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him.” The rapper has since pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit organized crime, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
A New York judge denied Diddy’s bail on September 17, and he will remain in custody until his trial.
Diddy’s lawyer, Marc Agnifiloasserted in an interview on CNN’s “The Source With Kaitlan Collins” that Diddy was innocent.
“He’s innocent. I believe he’s innocent. I believe he’s innocent of the charges,” he said on the Sept. 17 episode. “He’s going to go to trial. And I believe he’s going to win.”
As Diddy’s legal battle continued, members of the music industry weighed in on his arrest and subsequent charges. Keep scrolling to read the biggest reactions:
Aubrey O’Day
The former Danity Kane member, who has been outspoken about Diddy in the past, appeared to react to the news of Diddy’s arrest on September 16.
“The purpose of justice is to create closure and give us the space to start a new chapter,” she shared on her Instagram story. “Women never get this. I feel vindicated. Today is a victory for women all over the world, not just me.”
The singer added: “Things are finally changing.”
Dawn Richard
A second former member of Danity Kane also commented.
“We welcome the new grand jury indictment against Sean Combs, which is strikingly similar to the federal lawsuit we filed last week on behalf of our courageous client Dawn Richard,” said attorney Lisa Bloom said in a statement to Us Weeklyy on September 17. “Given the brutal beating of Sean Combs’ girlfriend that was caught on video and the eight people who have now accused him of abuse in court documents, including Dawn, this arrest seems long overdue.”
She had previously filed a lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of manipulating, terrorizing and sexually abusing her. At the time, Diddy’s lawyer Erica Wolff released a statement on his behalf.
“It is unfortunate that Ms. Richard gave up their 20-year friendship to get money from him,” it said. “Mr. Combs is confident in his truth and looks forward to proving it in court.”
Foxy Brown
The rapper shared her thoughts via her Instagram story, writing on September 17: “Things are about to get really crazy!!!”
50 cents
In a social media post on September 17, he seemed to be alluding to Diddy.
“Here I am in good company with @thedrewbarrymoreshow and I don’t have 1,000 bottles of lube in the house,” the rapper wrote under a photo alongside Drew Barrymore. The “lube” comment appeared to refer to the “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube” that the Department of Homeland Security seized from Diddy’s homes during a raid last March, according to this week’s indictment.
Charlamagne, the God
The radio host discussed the alleged “freak offs” described in Diddy’s indictment on the radio show “The Breakfast Club” on September 17. (“Freak offs” were allegedly hotel room parties hosted by Diddy in which women were forced to “perform extended sexual acts with male sex workers”).
“If he’s accused of extortion and sex trafficking because of ‘Freak Offs,’ there’s going to be others involved. For example, if you ever rode a train with Diddy, you’re probably going to go to jail,” the comedian speculated. “If you were ever anywhere with Diddy stark naked or half naked and there were a couple of women or men around that he told you were part of the party, you’re probably going to go to jail.”
Hosts of “The View”
Whoopi Goldberg called Diddy’s 14-page indictment “extensive and disturbing” in the September 17 episode of the show. Sunny Hostin said Diddy was involved in “mob-like behavior,” referring to the charges.
“They describe a criminal enterprise that involved trafficking minors across state lines for sex, and they called them ‘freak-offs,'” she continued. “They searched his homes and found 1,000 vials of lubricant. They searched his home and found narcotics.”
Kesha
The singer made a TikTok video reacting to the news of Diddy’s arrest, using her song “TiK ToK,” which includes the new lyrics, which are a reference to Diddy. She debuted the new version at Coachella earlier this year. (The original lyrics read: “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.”)
“Wake up in the morning and say ‘F— P. Diddy,'” the song said, as Kesha held up her middle finger to the camera and smiled before blowing a kiss.