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The late Notorious B.I.G.‘s mom, Voletta Wallace, was one of many people who was disturbed after a video of Sean “Diddy” Combs physically assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016 surfaced earlier this month. And in a new interview published Thursday (May 30), the Biggie’s mother told Rolling Stone that the clip — compounded with the […]
Several of the people who have accused disgraced former music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual abuse have spoken out for the first time in a new Rolling Stone story in which they detail the alleged actions of the Bad Boy Records boss.
One of the women suing Combs for sexual assault, Joi Dickerson-Neal, told the magazine that she didn’t come forward for a payday, but rather to make sure “the world sees that this man who rose to the level of an ‘icon’ is actually sick and has left so many victims in [the wake of his] unpunished disgusting behavior for years.”
“One date with Sean Combs led to the trauma and pain of sexual assault and an ocean’s depth of shame,” she alleged to the publication, as well as “debilitating self-doubt and a lifetime of inner turmoil” after learning that Combs allegedly distributed an explicit video of her, as outlined in her lawsuit.
Combs is currently facing lawsuits from multiple people, all of whom accuse the disgraced music mogul of sexual abuse, with five of the women accusing Combs or rape or violent sexual assault in incidents that date back to 1990. After CNN recently obtained and surfaced a 2016 video of Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura — who sued him for rape and assault in November, and settled soon after — the musician apologized and took responsibility for his actions in the video, but he has otherwise strongly denied all the other allegations.
Combs’ attorney told the magazine that he cannot comment on settled litigation and will not comment on pending legal action. Billboard has also reached out to his PR and legal teams for comment on the allegations in the Rolling Stone story.
Dickerson-Neal, who appeared opposite Combs in a 1990 music video, filed a sexual assault suit against Diddy in November. She told the magazine that she “reluctantly” agreed to a dinner date with Combs in January 1991 while attending college and working at a restaurant to pay her bills. After allegedly being warned to stay away from Combs because of his “infamous reputation,” Dickerson-Neal said she asked that they dine at the restaurant where she worked because she was afraid to be alone with him.
She alleges in her lawsuit that Combs “intentionally drugged” her, then allegedly sexually assaulted her. Dickerson-Neal also claims Diddy filmed the alleged attack and showed the video to others “like a trophy.” Combs’ lawyers deny the allegations and have moved to dismiss her lawsuit.
Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a music producer who has also sued Combs, accusing him of “groping and touching” his anus and repeatedly forcing Jones to “solicit sex workers and perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs,” also spoke to RS. Jones told the publication, “He is a monster, nothing has changed … this guy got no soul. He has no duty to anyone, not even his kids.”
Model Crystal McKinney described taking part in a fashion show for Diddy’s Sean John clothing brand in February 2003, and in her lawsuit, claims that Combs pressured her to take a hit from a “laced” joint after saying she was acting “too uptight.” The suit claims Combs allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him, an incident that she said sent her into a “tailspin of anxiety and depression” that resulted in a suicide attempt.
“I had a whole future [in modeling] mapped out that was stolen from me. Being sexually assaulted and having no recourse is so painful,” McKinney told RS. “I felt like I was dying every day because I did not yet have the strength to come forward. … I hope that by speaking out, I can help other survivors come forward and seek justice.”
A woman who filed a Jane Doe lawsuit against Diddy in December over claims that he and two other men drugged and raped her in 2003 when she was 17 years old — a suit Combs’ lawyer filed to dismiss, calling it a “decades-old tale” aimed at extracting “an undeserved financial recovery” — also spoke out. She told RS that she hopes her legal action will hold “not just Combs, but also all of those who acted with him, stood silent, and actively covered up his behavior” to account.
Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.
As the crisis in Gaza continues to escalate in violence, Kehlani has taken to Instagram to call out their peers for not speaking up.
In a clip posted Monday, the “Distraction” singer shared contempt for her “highly f—ing platformed” peers in the music industry for not speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war. “And you can’t stop for a second and recognize that … nothing we do has a f—ing purpose without people and you can’t turn the f— around and reach back for people? You can’t speak? Disgusting,” she says in the clip.
Kehlani noted that they lost “any ounce of f—ing respect” for those who have not spoken up. “This is going to be in history books. … This is going to be something that is referenced for the rest of f—ing forever.”
“F— a lot of y’all too,” Kehlani concluded.
In the caption, the star expanded on their thoughts. “I don’t got it no more I just don’t I tried hella ways to cope & it doesn’t exist and that’s okay, nobody should know how to cope right now,” she wrote. “I tried to drop some music & get my mind back right, my focus back & the rage is just EXTREMELY prevalent. this sh– is f—ing me up BEEN f—ing me up it should be f—ing a lot of yall up but apparently it’s not???? what’s good yall??? we don’t sell out shows without A CROWD FULL OF PEOPLE. the songs don’t chart without PEOPLE. the trends don’t trend without PEOPLE. you don’t draw a line at beheaded babies or people burnt alive after 7 months of plenty of other atrocities ? idc about the roll out the formula the strategy the algorithm at this point i’m begging U TO BE PEOPLE. BE A F—IN HUMAN BEING.”
Kehlani’s post comes just a day after Israel launched a missile attack on Rafah, hitting an encampment of displaced Palestinians in the Tal As-Sultan, an area that Israel had reportedly set as a “safe zone.” The attack killed dozens of people and wounded at least 249 — many of whom were civilians, including women and children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the civilians were “unintentionally” hit.
The attack took place soon after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop its Rafah military offensive. Israel’s ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 35,000 people since October, Reuters reports. The Gaza Health Ministry said on May 24 that more than 80,200 Palestinians have been injured in the offensive.
The Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking more than 250 as hostages. According to The Associated Press, about half of the hostages have been freed.
Watch Kehlani’s full message below.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing yet another sexual abuse lawsuit, this time filed by a woman who claims that he drugged and sexually assaulted her 30 years ago while she was a college student in New York City.
In a complaint filed Thursday in Manhattan court, April Lampros alleges that the rapper subjected her to “an aggressive, coercive, and abusive relationship based on sex,” including four instances of sexual assault.
In one such allegation, she says Combs forced her to take ecstasy and have sex with his former girlfriend Kim Porter. Though she “vocally opposed” the idea, she said she feared that Combs “blacklist her in the industry.”
“Ms. Lampros knew that she had to comply because she had witnessed what happens when someone defies Mr. Combs,” her lawyers write. “She had also been threatened and victimized by Mr. Combs and did not want to cause a problem because she feared him.”
Thursday’s lawsuit also names Sony Music Entertainment as a defendant, claiming the company “enabled” Combs’ conduct. She claims that she worked for Sony’s Arista Records when at least one of the attacks occurred, and that Sony “knew or should have known that Combs was not fit to be in a position of authority.”
Representatives for both Combs and Sony did not immediately return requests for comment.
Lampros is the seventh alleged victim to file a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual abuse over the past six months, including one filed just days ago by a model named Crystal McKinney who claims the hip-hop mogul forced her to perform oral sex on him following a Men’s Fashion Week event in 2003. The rapper is also reportedly facing a federal criminal investigation over abuse accusations.
In previous statements, Combs has strongly denied any wrongdoing. But after a video surfaced last week showing Combs attacking one of those accusers – then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura – he said he took “full responsibility” for that incident and was “truly sorry.”
In her complaint, Lampros claims that she met Combs in 1994 while she was a college student at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology. After she told him about her “dreams of working in the fashion industry,” Lampros says Combs promised to mentor her and help her find work in the industry.
But she says the relationship quickly turned sexual, including “four terrifying sexual encounters” and threats of physical violence. One such incident occurred after a night out in 1995, when she claims that she began to feel unwell after taking just “a few sips of one drink.”
“Ms. Lampros pleaded with Mr. Combs to stop, and he ignored her,” her attorneys write. “Ms. Lampros could not process why this was occurring and felt a loss of control. Ms. Lampros was being raped by Mr. Combs, and she soon passed out.”
Thoughout the relationship, Lampros claims that Combs exercised power over her due to his fame and influence: “She felt that if she disobeyed him, he would take away her dreams of pursuing a career in his world.”
Lampros also claims that Combs surreptitiously filmed one of their sexual encounters and then shared the video with others. She says she learned of the tape in 2023, when an unnamed man told her boyfriend that “he should reconsider dating her because he personally saw a video of her and Sean Combs having sex.”
The lawsuit alleges that all of the defendants violated New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law. The case also includes counts of civil battery, sexual assault and negligent infliction of emotional distress against Combs.
Read the entire complaint here:
In the third episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ Billboard staffers Damien Scott, Carl Lamarre and Trevor Anderson discuss the aftermath of the 2016 video of Diddy physically assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura as well as new sexual assault allegations against him and how this will forever tarnish his legacy. They also debate whether Lauryn Hill’s singular album […]
Cassie has issued a statement in response to the outpouring of support she’s received following the release of the video of her then-boyfriend Diddy physically assaulting her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
The “Me & U” singer hadn’t spoken out since CNN posted the footage on May 17, with only her attorneys issuing statements. That changed on Thursday morning (May 23) when she addressed the situation and thanked those who have supported her.
“Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past,” she wrote on Instagram, making no mention of Diddy by name.
“Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.”
Cassie continued: “I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone. This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you. Love Always, Cassie.”
Kelly Rowland, Chloe Bailey, Lala Anthony, Taraji P. Henson and more showered Cassie with love and commended her bravery in her IG comment section.
In the footage dated March 5, 2016, and released by CNN, Diddy is seen striking Cassie at an elevator bank of a Los Angeles hotel and dragging her through the hallway after kicking her.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement to Billboard at the time. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Diddy issued an apology on Sunday (May 17), saying his actions in the video were “inexcusable,” and added he was “disgusted” with his behavior.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy said in the video posted to Instagram. “I was f–ked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”
Cassie and Diddy met in 2005 and dated on-and-off for a decade before splitting for good in 2018. Ventura filed a lawsuit against Diddy in Manhattan federal court in November 2023, alleging rape, sexual assault, physical abuse and more.
The two parties settled the dispute less than 24 hours later. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement issued by her attorney at the time. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
With additional sexual assault lawsuits piling up, Combs has continued to deny all allegations made against him. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he said in a statement on Dec. 6. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
Read Cassie’s statement in full below.
Charlamagne Tha God’s Get Honest or Die Lying book tour stopped by The View on Wednesday (May 23). While in conversation about the healing that needs to happen in hip-hop and for him personally, The Breakfast Club co-host was asked about Diddy’s sexual misconduct allegations and the recently-published footage of him assaulting Cassie. Charlamagne told […]
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit filed by a woman who claims the hip-hop mogul sexually assaulted her in a recording studio bathroom in 2003.
According to the complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court in New York by attorneys Michelle Caiola and Jonathan Goldhirsch, Crystal McKinney claims she met Combs at a Men’s Fashion Week dinner in Manhattan on the invite of a fashion designer she knew. While attending the dinner, during which she alleges that Combs came onto her “in a sexually suggestive manner,” she says he invited her to hang out at his recording studio.
After arriving at the studio, where McKinney says several other men were present, she claims she was given alcohol and a marijuana joint that she later came to believe was laced “with a narcotic or other intoxicating substance.” She says Combs then led her to a bathroom, where he began kissing her without her consent before shoving her head in his crotch and forcing her to perform oral sex over her protests.
McKinney, who was then working as a professional model, claims that she later “awakened in shock” to find herself in a taxi heading back to the apartment of the designer who had invited her to the dinner. At this point, she “realized that she had been sexually assaulted by Combs,” the complaint reads. The lawsuit adds that following the alleged assault, McKinney’s “modeling opportunities quickly began to dwindle and then evaporated entirely” after Combs allegedly “blackballed” her in the industry. After falling into “a tailspin of anxiety and depression,” she claims she attempted suicide in 2004 and later fell into drug and alcohol addiction to cope with the trauma of the alleged assault.
The new lawsuit was filed under the NYC Gender Motivated Violence Act, which created a two-year lookback window beginning in March 2023 that allows survivors of gender-motivated violence to sue their abusers for alleged incidents that occurred outside the statute of limitations.
Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are Combs’ label Bad Boy Records, its parent company Universal Music Group and Combs’ clothing company Sean John Clothing, all of which McKinney claims “enabled” the alleged assault by “actively maintaining and employing Combs in a position of power” despite the fact that they allegedly “knew or should have known that Combs posed a risk of sexual assault.”
McKinney is asking for damages for mental and emotional injury, distress, pain and suffering and injury to her reputation as well as punitive damages, among other relief.
Representatives for Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John Clothing and Universal Music Group did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
Tuesday’s complaint marks the sixth sexual misconduct lawsuit to have been filed against Combs over the past several months. The torrent of lawsuits was kicked off by a November 2023 complaint filed by his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who alleged repeated abuse by the mogul over the course of more than a decade.
Though Ventura’s lawsuit was settled just one day later, a 2016 security video published by CNN on Friday (May 17) showed Combs physically assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway. Though Combs denied all of Ventura’s initial allegations, in the wake of the video’s release he issued an apology calling his behavior in the clip “inexcusable.” L.A. District Attorney George Gascón later released a statement saying that Combs could not be prosecuted over the assault due to the statute of limitations.
Combs has strongly denied all allegations of sexual assault made against him. On Dec. 6, he released a statement that read: “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
In November, Combs stepped down as chairman of his digital media company Revolt before reportedly selling his stake in the company in March. Also in March, federal agents conducted raids of Combs’ L.A. and Miami homes “in connection” with a federal sex trafficking investigation, according to CNN.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex Misa Hylton has taken to Instagram to speak out following a devastating 2016 video resurfaced, in which the hip-hop star appears to be physically assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel.
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“I am heartbroken that Cassie must relive the horror of her abuse, and my heart goes out to her. I know exactly how she feels, and through my empathy, it has triggered my own trauma,” Hylton wrote on Instagram, alongside photos of Combs’ seven children. She shares 30-year-old Justin Combs with Diddy, and dated the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper in the early 1990s.
“These young people were raised by women that want the best for them – we put God and education first and have always been united in our mutual effort to support their dreams. Two of the youngest do not have their mother here and it has been our duty to support them,” Hylton continued. “Their father needs help and I am praying that he truly does the personal work and receives it.”
See her post here.
In the video, obtained by CNN earlier this month and dated March 5, 2016, Combs appears to shove Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her several times while she lies on the ground and drag her down a hallway. The contents of the video mirror an assault allegation Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit she filed against Diddy in November.
Shortly after, on May 19, Diddy took to social media to share a video of himself taking responsibility and apologizing for his actions in the disturbing clip. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy says in his Instagram video. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”
He continued, “I went out and sought professional help. Had to go into therapy, into rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement sent to Billboard. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Following the video’s release, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office issued a statement that Combs won’t be prosecuted over his actions in the 2016 video. “We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” the office of L.A. District Attorney George Gascón wrote in a statement on Instagram Friday (May 17). “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”
Trigger warning: the following story contains descriptions of sexual assault.
In an emotional TikTok video posted over the weekend, former Drake & Josh star Drake Bell shared that a ballad from his 2005 debut album Telegraph, entitled “In the End,” featured lyrics alluding to his sexual abuse at the hands of Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. That abuse was explored in the recent docuseries Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which chronicled stories of emotional abuse and traumatic experiences suffered by teen and tween actors on the sets of a variety of Nickelodeon programs.
“Wrote this song when I was 15 about what happened before I said anything to anyone,” Bell captioned the one-minute video, in which he sits with a forlorn, pained look as the song’s emotional lyrics play out. “Wake up/ It’s time to get your things together and drive away/ ‘Breathe out, future days will treat you better’/ That’s what they say,” he sings. “Another day gone without a say/ But it’s okay if you turn around/ And feel the memories bringin’ you down.”
The song’s lyrics never appear to explicitly mention abuse, but the chorus (not included in Bell’s video) hints at dark themes. “Wake up/ The monsters in your head have left you/ All to yourself, it’s alright/ If ugly little things remind you of how it felt,” he sings, adding, “Another day, no one tells you what it means/ What’s in your way and poisonin’ your dreams/ The darkest place that you’ve ever been.”
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Bell, now 37, detailed his abuse for the first time in the four-part series that plumbed the toxic work environment at the Viacom children’s network on sets run by Dan Schneider, creator of such hit programs as Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat, which launched the careers of such superstars as Ariana Grande, Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson, Victoria Justice and more.
In the series, Bell discussed his abuse by Peck — who was convicted of sexually assaulting a Nickelodeon child actor (Bell) in 2004 — for the first time, alongside other then-underage actor’s stories alleging abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate alleged predatory behavior at the network.
Peck was convicted in 2004, a year before Bell’s debut album was released and several years after authorities said the abuse of the then 14/15-year-old actor took place. Peck was accused of molesting a child in 2003 and later convicted of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16 — resulting in a 16-month sentence and registration as a sex offender.
“Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward,” Nickelodeon said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter prior to the series’ debut earlier this month.
Bell is slated to release his sixth studio album, Non-Stop Flight, later this year. The video for the album’s power pop first single, “I Kind of Relate,” features scenes that directly allude to the abuse some other difficult chapters in the singer/actor’s personal life. “I kind of relateI found beauty in my pain/ I’m running away/ From the abuse and all the shame,” he sings on the Beach Boys-esque tune. “‘Cause no one comes/ To my house anymore/ No one knocks on my door.”
Watch Bell’s TikTok video below.
Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.