Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has condemned a new Netflix docuseries about his life and legal troubles, calling it a ‘shameful hit piece’ and accusing the streaming giant of using stolen footage. The four-part series, titled Sean Combs: The Reckoning, is executive-produced by his longtime rival 50 Cent and is set to debut on 2 December.
In a statement released through a spokesperson, Combs claimed that the series includes ‘private moments, pre-indictment material from an unfinished project and conversations involving legal strategy’ that were obtained unlawfully. The statement said that Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, and that Netflix’s use of the material is ‘fundamentally unfair, and illegal’.
Netflix has denied the allegations, with a spokesperson telling Deadline that the footage was ‘legally obtained’ and that the project has no ties to any past conversations between Combs and Netflix. Director Alexandria Stapleton also assured the Hollywood Reporter that the footage was obtained completely legally.
Combs, who is currently serving a four-year sentence for prostitution-related charges, blamed the series on 50 Cent’s ‘personal vendetta’. However, 50 Cent dismissed this, saying his involvement was not personal but rather to show that ‘hip-hop is fine with his behaviors’.
The docuseries promises a ‘staggering examination’ of Combs’s life, including never-before-seen footage. A teaser released on Monday shows Combs saying, ‘We’re losing,’ as his federal sex crimes case was closing in. Combs was convicted in October on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution and sentenced to four years and two months in prison.
