Netflix buys Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs documentary after ‘bidding war’

Entertainment

A docuseries about the allegations of sexual abuse, rape and sex trafficking against rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs has landed at Netflix months after its producer, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, started teasing the project and posters for a fake documentary started making the rounds on social media.
Sean "Diddy" Combs Fulfills $1 Million Pledge To Howard University At Howard Homecoming – Yardfest

Sean “Diddy” Combs at Howard University on Oct. 20, 2023.

Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs

Key Takeaways
  • Jackson confirmed in a tweet the streamer has won the “bidding war” for a series he first announced in December but added that, “if more victims keep coming out, I’m gonna need more episodes.”
  • G-Unit Film & Television, the production company owned by Jackson, confirmed last year a still-unnamed documentary project was in the works and would focus on the allegations against Combs, who has had at least four women accuse him of rape, abuse, sex trafficking and other crimes in the last six months (Combs has denied all the claims against him).
  • Jackson teased the project on X by posting a video of former rapper Mark Curry, who was signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records, talking about partying in clubs and saying Combs would spike bottles of champagne with “something to make the girls real, real slippery.”
  • Lyrics from a Rick Ross’ song called “U.O.E.N.O.,” which discuss drugging and sexual assaulting women, played in the background of a clip shared by Jackson: “Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it/I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.”
  • The announcement that a documentary will land on Netflix came on the same day a former model sued Combs for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2003—the latest in a string of recent lawsuits.
  • Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Wednesday.
Crucial Quote

“WTF at some point you gotta just do the right thing,” Jackson wrote in an Instagram post about proceeds from the docuseries going to victims of sexual assault and rape.

Key Background

Combs was first accused of abuse, rape and sex trafficking by his longterm ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Casandra Ventura, in November. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount one day later. A lawyer for the rapper at the time said Combs “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations” and accused Ventura of “seeking a payday,” but CNN last week released a video that showed Combs shoving, kicking dragging Ventura by the hair in the hallway of a hotel back in 2016.

Combs on Sunday issued an apology video calling his behavior “disgusting” and saying he was “truly sorry.” After Ventura, three more lawsuits were filed accusing Combs of abuse, rape or sex trafficking, all of which have been denied by Combs. Two of the other accusations include claims Combs drugged them. In February, a $30 million lawsuit from music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones accused Combs of sexually harassing him, drugging attendees to his house parties and running a “sex-trafficking venture” that included a number of parties with sex workers, minors and illegal drugs.

Tangent

A poster advertising a Netflix documentary titled “Diddy Do It?” went viral on social media last March only to later be debunked and called “just a parody” by its creator. The poster included what appeared to be official Netflix branding and a “streaming now” tagline—and drove up search traffic for “Diddy Do It Netflix,” “Diddy Do It” and “Netflix Diddy”—but was created in jest. Graphic designer and artist Kode Abdo, who posts his work online under the name BossLogic, created the image.

Chief Critic

Jackson and Combs have had a long-running feud that has only intensified since the allegations against Diddy began. Jackson has posted a number of jabs at Combs in the last several months, including a commentary on the Ventura video.

After the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office posted it will not charge Combs with crimes shown in the video because the statute of limitations had passed in California, Jackson wrote “This is why they put out that tape out, they know they can’t charge him with what we saw, but they know we can’t [unsee] what we saw.”

After news broke that federal Homeland Security Investigations agents raided Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes in March, Jackson posted (and later deleted) “Sh*t just got real the Fed’s in all the cribs.” Combs’ son King Combs released a new song called “Pick A Side” earlier this month dissing 50 Cent, rapping “pops been hated on many men.” Jackson responded by posting a screenshot of the new song and saying he does not “understand why they want to drug women.”

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