A spokesperson for Sean “Diddy” Combs has hit back at 50 Cent’s upcoming Netflix docuseries, Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
“Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece,” a spokesperson for the disgraced rapper said in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday, December 1. “Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work.”
The statement continued, “Netflix is plainly desperate to sensationalize every minute of Mr. Combs’s life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalize on a never-ending media frenzy. If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr. Combs’s legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context – including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.”
The statement called it “equally staggering” that the streaming platform “handed creative control” to 50 Cent, whom they called “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs.” (50 Cent has been in a well-known and public feud with Diddy since the early 2000s.)
“Beyond the legal issues, this is a personal breach of trust,” the statement concluded. “Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and admired the legacy of Clarence Avant. For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected.”
Diddy’s legal team went on to send a cease and desist to Netflix.
While the statement comes one day before the premiere of The Reckoning, Netflix released a teaser for the docuseries where Diddy is seen on a phone call six days before his 2024 arrest. (Diddy was arrested in September 2024 on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty and has denied all allegations against him.)
In it, he says, “We need to find someone who will work with us who has worked in the dirtiest of dirty businesses. We are losing.”
When Variety contacted Netflix about the alleged stolen footage, a representative directed the outlet to a quote from the docuseries director, Alexandria Stapleton.
For decades, Sean “Diddy” Combs was a powerful force in the music industry as a performer a record executive/producer. As Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs was a superstar. Diddy had his run-ins with the law before, but none as serious as his 2024 arrest and subsequent federal trial and conviction. Now, Curtis “50 Cent” […]
“It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” she said. “We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.”
In May, Diddy was found guilty on two counts of transportation but acquitted of his other charges. In October, he was sentenced to 50 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning premieres on Netflix Tuesday, December 2.
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