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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sends cease-and-desist to Netflix over ‘shameful’ docuseries
Sean “Diddy” Combs does not want Netflix to release Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a four-part docuseries based on his life.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, currently serving a nearly four-year sentence for prostitution-related charges, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Netflix, through his lawyers, asking the streaming platform not to release the new docuseries on his life and legal troubles. This happened a day ahead of the premiere of Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which was scheduled to come out on Tuesday, December 2, CNN reported. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, a longtime rival of Combs, serves as the executive producer on the four-part series.
Diddy calls docuseries 'shameful hit piece'
In a statement to CNN, Combs' spokesperson called the project a “shameful hit piece,” and accused the streaming giant of using “stolen footage that was never authorized for release”. On Monday, Netflix released a teaser for the project. The footage that Combs’ representative has referred to is allegedly highlighted in the teaser.
In the clip, Combs said, "We need to find someone who will work with us who has worked in the dirtiest of dirty businesses”. He further added, “We are losing.” Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for Combs, told CNN that the disgraced music mogul had been making similar videos for a long time in order to chronicle his life and journey for an eventual documentary. The footage shown in the teaser for "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" was filmed six days before he was arrested by authorities in September 2024. The video was supposed to be a part of his documentary effort.
Engelmayer claimed that Combs had been working on his own documentary since the age of 19. "This footage was commissioned as part of it,” Engelmayer added. However, the Netflix series has not been seen by Combs or anybody from his team.
What did Netflix say?
Alexandra Stapleton, director of the docuseries, earlier said in an official statement that they obtained the "footage legally and have the necessary rights”. Stapleton stated that they moved "heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential," besides claiming that they got in touch with Combs' legal team for an interview on multiple occasions, but "did not hear back.”
The cease-and-desist letter highlights that Combs has never hesitated to take legal action against media entities for violating his rights. "He will not hesitate to do so against Netflix," it added. This comes after Combs earlier filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal for Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, which came out on Peacock.
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FAQs:
Where is Sean Combs now?
He is currently serving a 50-month sentence in prison after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in October this year.
When was Sean Combs arrested?
He was taken into custody in September 2024 and was later taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He was then transferred to Fort Dix in New Jersey.
