‘He Was A Hero To Me’

Actor Taye Diggs has revealed how shocked he was by Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest for sex trafficking, sharing that he used to admire the rapper’s rise to fame.

Diddy, currently held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and other crimes.

Raids on Diddy’s homes uncovered over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, linked to alleged days-long sexual events dubbed “freak offs.”

On a recent episode of the “Sibling Revelry” podcast, hosted by Kate and Oliver Hudson, Diggs revealed that he was completely caught off guard by Diddy’s arrest on charges of sex trafficking and other serious crimes.

“I felt so naive when I heard all that stuff because I was… I don’t know where I was, but all of it blindsided me,” the actor shared, per the Daily Mail.

He recalled admiring Diddy’s rise from humble beginnings, adding: “He was a hero to me. I loved how he… he didn’t come from much; he started out as a dancer. All the things that I wasn’t growing up, he was. He had so much confidence and a certain arrogance that I loved, and he made being black cool.”

“I really put him on a pedestal, and it was disappointing to see some of what happened. I couldn’t believe it,” Diggs admitted. “I didn’t like that feeling.”

He further noted that he thinks what is happening to Diddy is “great for people to know,” adding that “we can think life is to be lived a certain way, we can think a person is a certain way, and they can be the exact opposite and get used to that, you know?”

The Bad Boy Records founder was arrested last week on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting individuals for prostitution.

The accusations, dating back to 2008, claim he manipulated and abused women to “fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Diddy has pleaded not guilty.

After his arrest, he was denied bail despite offering his and his mother’s Miami homes, valued at $50 million, as collateral.

An appeal to reverse that decision was rejected on Wednesday, meaning Diddy will remain in custody until his trial.

According to People Magazine, Diddy isn’t receiving special treatment at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is being held.

“He is being treated like any other detainee awaiting trial. As with all public figures in his position, he was placed on suicide watch upon admittance to the facility as a precaution,” the insider noted.

Recently, there were rumors that Diddy had stopped eating prison food due to fear of being poisoned. However, according to TMZ, the rapper is eating well and is not afraid of jail food.

A source close to the embattled entertainer told the news outlet that he’s “eating normal jailhouse food like any other inmate,” adding that he “receives no special treatment.”

Diddy has also spoken to his kids after reports earlier claimed that the “Finna Get Loose” rapper was worried about their welfare.

A source told Peoplethat he has “been able to speak briefly to family members and his children via phone” from jail as he awaits trial.

According to an indictment unsealed last week, federal raids on Diddy’s Miami and Los Angeles homes uncovered over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.

The indictment alleges that Diddy coerced and manipulated individuals into participating in days-long sexual events, which he referred to as “freak offs.”

His associates reportedly supplied victims with drugs to ensure compliance and issued threats to those unwilling to participate.

These claims echo those in a settled civil lawsuit filed by Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, last year.

Since Diddy’s arrest, his music catalog has experienced a surge in streams. Luminate, a data and analytics company, confirmed the surge, claiming that the increase in streams was over 18% compared to the week before he was taken into custody.

While it remains unclear which tracks have seen the biggest boost, the renewed attention follows a pattern seen with other controversial artists facing legal troubles.

One such example is R&B singer R. Kelly, whose streaming numbers nearly doubled after a bombshell documentary accused him of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls.

However, despite the streaming surge, Diddy doesn’t appear to be enjoying the same success on radio play.

According to TMZ, many radio stations have pulled his songs from their playlists, with some making the decision after a resurfaced video showed Diddy assaulting Cassie.