A new Netflix documentary series has released a startling teaser showing Sean 'Diddy' Combs making a desperate plea to his legal team just days before his arrest on federal charges.
A Frantic Call From a Hotel Room
The second preview for the four-part series Sean Combs: The Reckoning features never-before-seen footage of the 56-year-old music mogul. In the clip, Combs is holed up at the Park Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan on September 10, 2024. This was just six days before his dramatic arrest in the hotel lobby on sex-trafficking charges following a grand jury indictment.
In a 50-second preview, a stressed Combs is heard on the phone, pleading with his lawyers. "We have to find somebody that'll work with us that has dealt in the dirtiest of dirty business," he says, before adding urgently, "We're losing."
Footage Sourced by Longtime Rival 50 Cent
The candid footage was obtained by Combs' longtime industry rival, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, who served as an executive producer on the damning series. Jackson is donating all proceeds from the project to victims of sexual assault and rape.
Speaking on Good Morning America, Jackson explained his motivation, framing their past conflict in a new light. "What they consider pre-existing beef for 20 years is me being uncomfortable with him suggesting that he takes me shopping," the rapper said. "Or I looked at it like, it was like a tester. Like, maybe you'll come play with me type of thing, right? And it's not personal."
Revealing Moments and Current Consequences
Another scene in the teaser shows Combs warmly greeting fans at a Harlem restaurant, only to later ask his team for hand sanitiser inside his SUV. On a hot mic, the three-time Grammy winner is heard scoffing, "I've been out in the streets amongst the people. Yeah, I got to take a bath... It's like 150 hugs!"
Jackson told GMA this moment revealed Combs' character. "What's the odds that you would do that in front of the camera like that? That's one of the moments where he forgot he was on tape."
Combs is currently serving a 50-month sentence at the low-security Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey for violating the Mann Act. This relates to two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Director Alexandria Stapleton interviewed two jurors from his earlier trial, where he was acquitted on more severe sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. One juror described Combs and his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura as "two people in love," while another noted domestic violence was not one of the formal charges.
Combs' position shifted only after CNN leaked a 2016 video showing him assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway. Ventura, who was signed to Combs' label at age 19, settled a lawsuit alleging rape, abuse, and sex trafficking over a year ago for an undisclosed sum.
Sean Combs still faces more than 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse, all of which he has denied. Sean Combs: The Reckoning premieres this Tuesday on Netflix.
