TW: This story contains discussion of sexual assault.

Sean Combs — also known as “P. Diddy” — was arrested on Sept. 16, after a year-long and still ongoing investigation. The 54-year-old rap star also faces multiple lawsuits alleging rape and sexual abuse. Now, he is being linked to sex trafficking allegations involved in two of the lawsuits against him.
This investigation required raiding Combs’ home, which led to the shocking discovery of nearly 1,000 bottles of baby oil and 784 male genitalia toys that were used for “freak offs.” According to the Miami Herald, “freak offs” involved female sex workers and Combs’ staff enduring violent sexual performances recorded by Combs. Combs said that he would give the victims drugs to keep them “obedient and compliant.”
Since the discovery of this house of horrors, numerous victims claiming to have been abused by Combs have come forward with their stories. According to People Magazine, Combs fired back during the investigation with a statement in December 2023.
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” Combs said in the statement. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. 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.”
As more evidence unfolds, conspiracy theories have formed around celebrities with connections to Combs and their possible involvement in the scandalous affairs. What is called the “Diddy List” has been circulating in the media. TheTab reveals one list in particular for a $600,000 dollar party for Combs’ birthday. Invitations for the party in the form of VHS tapes created by Combs were sent to Naomi Campbell, Martha Stewart, Mike Tyson, Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Costner, Mariah Carey, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Joan Rivers, among others. The video invitations starred numerous other big names including Ellen DeGeneres, Will Smith, Oprah and Donald Trump.
Big shocker that the guy convicted of 34 felonies and running for president would be a part of this list. Although he didn’t shy away from Jeffery Epstein either. In a clip from 2012 on the television show “The Apprentice,” Trump said “I love Diddy, you know he’s a good friend of mine, he’s a good guy!” Such comments make one wonder how many people in power were potentially involved in Combs’ heinous crimes. I think comments like this from Trump are a huge reflection on who he is as a person. Someone allegedly connected to multiple sex rings should not be allowed to run for president, and I think it is very relevant to the topic of this story. If you wouldn’t want Combs to be president, then how is Trump any better? They both have the same goal: to pleasure themselves.
Two celebrities’ names that have been brought up in the media the most are Beyonce and Jay-Z. Creators on TikTok have gone wild with the conspiracy theories that they are in on the deaths of various Hollywood stars, including Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy and Tupac Shakur. These theories lead people to believe that every time an artist bests Beyonce in an award ceremony, they must always thank her or give her work recognition. Examples of this pattern include Adele breaking her Grammy in half, or Lizzo praising Beyonce after a Grammy win. Some even speculate that Kanye West was protecting Taylor Swift, after stealing the mic from her to say, “I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time,” at the 2009 VMAs. See Vox for a breakdown of the entire scandal of West’s interruption (link online).
I think these theories could be a bit of a stretch aimed at attacking a successful woman of color. If Jay-Z does get dragged further into this case, Beyonce would never let that man ruin her or her kids’ careers. It does make me wonder though: How big was Combs’ ring? Who were his workers and what strings were they pulling in Hollywood?
Combs was an inspiration to many up-and-coming young artists of the ’90s and early 2000s. When Usher was only 14, he was having setbacks with his record label and was sent to a “flavor camp,” living with Combs in New York City. Usher was then exposed to the graphic sexual nature in the industry, according to MSN. In an interview with Howard Stern, he recalled, “There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen.”
Years later, when teen heartthrob Justin Bieber rose to fame, the same fate fell upon him. Usher led then 15-year-old Bieber into the jaws of Combs. Bieber would go on YouTube to upload a video called “JUSTIN BIEBER’S 48 HRS with DIDDY!!” in November 2009. These events suggest Combs took advantage of Bieber’s innocence and brought women to the minor for sexual experience.
After Combs and Bieber had grown distant through the years, Bieber started to open up in a podcast about the dangers of the music industry — specifically about the popstar Billie Eilish. In a 2020 interview with Zane Lowe, Bieber became emotional, saying, “It was hard for me being that young and being in the industry and not knowing where to turn and everyone telling me they loved me, and turn their back on you in a second…I just want to protect her…I don’t want her to go through anything I went through. I don’t wish that upon anybody.” I completely believe that this stems from the explicit experience Bieber had as a young star who was taken advantage of by a much older man for immoral reasons. Now that he’s older, he has realized how sick the industry actually is.
For his actions, Rolling Stone reported that Combs will potentially be facing 15 years to life in prison. Bail has been denied twice due to repeated alleged witness tampering attempts. There is a very strong possibility that this case of Combs’ exposure will be an extremely pivotal point in Hollywood with the evidence of all the participating celebrities that he could potentially drag down with him.