Sean “Diddy” Combs has been dominating news headlines ever since abuse allegations began circulating earlier this year. The mogul is currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial. Meanwhile, the record producer’s mother, Janice Combs, is speaking out for the first time and defending her son.
“My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side,” she said in a statement released through attorney Natlie G. Figgers on October 6.
The statement continued, “It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth but for a narrative created out of lies. To bear witness [to] what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to share his side finally, and to prove his innocence.”
This public lynching Combs speaks of may include the 120 additional accusers who have come forward to accuse the artist of abuse as far back as 1991. The accusation that broke the dam came from Combs’ former girlfriend and artist Cassie Ventura, who sued the mogul for rape and sex trafficking in November 2023.
“My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise,” Janice continued in her statement. “Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when it is outside the norm or too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.”
The lawsuit was dismissed and settled out of court–Cassie walked away with $30 million. However, Cassie is prohibited from filing the suit again.
Janice continued in the recent statement: “Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person.’ History has shown us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes.”
She continued, “It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or allowing him to present his side,” she added.
Federal prosecutors indicted the entrepreneur owner in September on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He has tried to apply for bail twice, but a federal judge and magistrate denied both attempts. The reason is that the judge feels Combs is a risk to the community and witnesses in the case.
“These lies thrown at him are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice,” reads the statement. She continued, “These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believed they could receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son. False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve. To make matters worse, the federal government is now using these lies to prosecute my son. This injustice has been unbearable for our family. The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him.”
