Before November 2023, most people knew and celebrated music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs as a very talented Entertainer, Record Producer, businessman, a fantastic father to his seven children, and a great co-parent to all his baby mamas. But that image started to fade on November 16, 2023, when his former longtime partner, “Cassie,” filed a lawsuit accusing him of Domestic Violence, abuse, rape, and sex trafficking, among others. Diddy quickly settled the lawsuit out of court, not knowing that was just the beginning of his legal troubles.

• Entertainment Genius

Diddy started his career as an intern at Uptown Records, a record label founded by the late music executive Andre Harrell. As he proved himself to be a mastermind and a very ambitious young man, Diddy quickly got promoted to Talent Director on the same label. According to his first baby mama, Misa Hylton, Andre Harell later fired Diddy. At the same time, she was pregnant with their son because Andre felt like Diddy was becoming very influential on the label, and there couldn’t be two captains on the same boat. Poised to launch his label, he started Bad Boy Records (later Bad Boy Entertainment) in the basement of the house he and Misa shared. The label grew as Diddy discovered and signed legendary Hip-Hop artists such as the Notorious B.I.G, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Craig Mack, Mase, and more… Producing some of the most legendary hits in Hip-Hop’s history. After the Notorious B.I.G passed in 1997, Diddy gained popularity, produced other prominent artists, and became a rapper. To this day, he has five studio albums: No Way Out (1997), Forever (1999), The Saga Continues (2001), Press Play (2006), and most recently, The Love Album: Off the Grid (2023). He is undeniably one of the twenty-first century’s best, most brilliant, and most successful record executives. He even won the Guinness World Record for “Most Successful Rap Producer”. He also won three Grammy Awards from thirteen nominations, multiple MTV Awards, an NAACP Image Awards, and multiple BET Awards, including the BET Lifetime Achievement Awards, to name a few.

• Reaching Mogul Status

Diddy is one of few people in the Hip-Hop world who have reached “Mogul Status” thanks to his ambition, business ventures, and marketing skills. He did it all. He created his clothing brand, Sean John, in 1998. He worked with the liquor company Diageo to promote their vodka brand “Ciroc,” in exchange, he received 50% of the benefits. This partnership proved so successful that Diddy launched his tequila brand with Diageo, “Deleon Tequila.” Their partnership lasted 13 years, from 2007 to 2023.

Diddy co-founded REVOLT TV, served as its chairman, and also owned a majority stake until he resigned in 2023 when lawsuits alleging sexual assault and abuse were filed against him. He officially sold his stake in the company in 2024.

Diddy co-founded a brand of alkaline water called Aquahydrate, sold it a few years later, but still held some shares after the sale was finalized.

Those are just a few business ventures that have made him so financially successful that Forbes Magazine finally proclaimed him a “Billionaire.”

• The Loving Dad

Diddy shares seven children with four baby mamas. With his first baby mama, Misa Hylton, he had his first biological child, Justin Dior Combs, in 1994. After Misa and Diddy broke up, he started a relationship with his late ex, Kim Porter, who died in November 2018. Kim already had a son, Quincy Taylor Brown, from a previous relationship. Diddy raised Quincy as his own and legally adopted him later, as Quincy was estranged from his biological father for a long time. Kim and Diddy went on to have three more biological children: son Christian Casey Combs and twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie. While dating Kim, Diddy impregnated Kim’s friend, businesswoman Sarah Chapman, who gave birth to a baby girl, Chance Zuri Combs, a few months before Kim gave birth to their twins in 2006. After the girls, Diddy hadn’t welcomed any new child in more than fifteen years, and most thought he was done having children due to his busy schedule with six children. However, he surprised the world when he announced the birth of his new baby girl, Love Sean Combs, in October 2022 with Cybersecurity Professional Dana Tran, despite the two not being in a relationship.

Diddy has always appeared to be doing a great job as a dad. It is impressive how he united all his children and their moms despite the initial circumstances. He is present at his children’s events, such as film premieres, sports games, graduations, and more. Beautiful moments spent with his “tribe” have been posted on social media, especially the fancy trips he takes his children on, the Christmas gatherings, birthday celebrations, and Thanksgiving holidays. The public has always admired his devotion as a father. Perhaps that is one thing that can never be taken away from him. He has shown that men can be busy and still be present in their children’s lives. On Mother’s Day, he never forgets to share his appreciation for all the mothers of his children. They all seem to get along so well and have always shown love and respect for one another. Who wouldn’t admire that? We applaud parents who do their job with love and grace.

• Legal Troubles

In 1999, Diddy was accused of shooting a woman in the face inside a nightclub in New York City. He was acquitted at the trial while his protégé, rapper Shyne, was imprisoned and later deported. Nonetheless, to this day, the victim of the shooting, Natania Reuben, still maintains that Diddy was the one who shot her and not his protégé.

He has also been charged with assault multiple times, but none of those would have the consequences that recent allegations against him have had.

In November 2023, Diddy was sued by his former longtime girlfriend and singer Cassandra Ventura, best known as Cassie, alleging physical abuse, rape, sex trafficking, and more… Even though Diddy settled the lawsuit a day after it was filed, this opened the floodgate for more lawsuits from other alleged victims and brought damaging consequences for the mogul.

Following Cassie’s footsteps, his former producer Lil Rod also filed a lawsuit, alleging sexual misconduct, sex trafficking, grooming, and more…

In March 2024, Diddy’s Miami and Los Angeles mansions were raided by the Department of Homeland Security as a part of an investigation into sex trafficking. By July 2024, about ten lawsuits in total have been filed against the mogul, most of them alleging sexual misconduct, pushing brands to cut ties with him. He stepped down as chairman of Revolt TV and then sold his shares. A reality show he was working on with his children for HULU got scrapped. Retailers such as Macy’s pulled his branded articles from their shelves.

As Diddy continued to refute all the allegations against him, a surveillance video of him beating and dragging Cassie on the floor was published by CNN and made things even worse for him. His actions in that video shocked and disgusted people, and many started seeing him as a “monster.”

We still don’t know whether he will ever be indicted, but one thing is sure: His public image has suffered a severe blow.