Janice Smalls Combs – rapper Diddy’s mother – said her son is not perfect but has the right to defend himself against a series of sex scandal allegations.
Rapper Diddy, 55, is being held at the Metropolitan Federal Administrative Detention Center in Brooklyn on three charges: sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit extortion, and transportation of persons for prostitution. On October 1, attorney Tony Buzbee announced that 120 people have filed abuse lawsuits against Diddy, including 25 victims who were minors. The singer has not yet pleaded guilty.
In the face of the wave of accusations, 84-year-old Janice Smalls Combs spoke out on behalf of her son’s family through Figgers Law. The law firm posted Combs’ full statement on Instagram on October 6.
“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged on a story that is fabricated with lies,” she wrote. “For me, it is indescribable to see my son ‘publicly executed’ before he had a chance to prove his innocence. Like everyone else, my son deserves to present his views and prove his innocence.”
Rapper Diddy and his mother, Janice Smalls Combs, at the 2010 premiere of “Get Him To The Greek” in Los Angeles. Photo: AP
The “rap kingpin’s” scandals were exposed after his ex-girlfriend – singer Cassie Ventura – filed a lawsuit against the artist for raping her in New York federal court in November 2023. Diddy initially denied this, but on May 17, CNN released a tape of him beating her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Two days later, the rapper posted a video apologizing to his ex-lover on Instagram .
Combs also mentioned Ventura’s case in the article, acknowledging Diddy’s wrongdoing but saying that her son was not perfect and made mistakes “like everyone else.” As for why her son chose to lie at the time, she wrote: “Sometimes the truth and lies are so closely intertwined that admitting part of the story becomes scary, especially when the truth is outside the moral compass and too complicated to believe. This is why my son’s lawyers chose to settle with his ex-girlfriend instead of fighting the case to the end, leading to the counterproductive effect of the federal government using this decision against Diddy, interpreting it as a confession of guilt.”
Rapper Diddy and his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura – the first person to accuse him. Photo: WireImage
Regarding Diddy’s accusers, the rapper’s mother said they only want money from the settlement, not justice. She said some individuals thought they could make money by slandering Diddy after seeing how quickly he handled the Ventura case.
In the end, the woman affirmed that her son was not “the monster everyone painted him to be”. She said that all she could do now was pray to live long enough to see Diddy tell the truth.
In the comments section of the news sites, most readers disagreed with the rapper’s mother’s views. Some said they understood that she did it out of love for her son, but that it was not the right way to do it. On the NY Post , one account wrote: “Diddy’s behavior is reprehensible, but her attempt to defend him is equally as bad. The public is talking about this because they feel it is time for Diddy to be locked up and investigated for his sick antics.”
Rapper Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, was born in 1969. He founded the Bad Boy record label in 1993 and helped make hip hop a global brand. In 2022, Diddy’s net worth was estimated at $1 billion, according to Forbes . Diddy is not married but has seven children with four girlfriends.
The artist was arrested on September 16 and appeared in court the following day. He asked for $50 million bail, but the judge refused. His next hearing is October 9. If convicted, Diddy faces life in prison.
