P Diddy’s inner circle used to include a whole host of famous faces.
As one of the world’s most successful music producers, the Bad Boy star, 54, was never short of company. Over the years, he’s been associated with a slew of stars across music, film and allegedly, even royalty.
However, he’s now a world away from the bright lights of Hollywood as he awaits trial for sex trafficking charges, which he denies, in the Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn, New York.
So, as the world waits for the rapper, also known as Puff Daddy, Diddy and Brother Love’s next hearing on October 9, here’s a look a some of the names from Combs’ inner circle, past and present.
Then
Usher
Diddy is credited with launching the career of R&B star Usher, after the singer’s record label executive L.A. Reid sent the 14-year-old to live with the then 23-year-old rapper for a year in 1994. In a 2004 interview with Rolling Stone, Usher — who alongside singer P!nk has been accused of deleting tweets that reference Combs since his arrest — recalled how the dad-of-six showed him “a totally different set of s*** — sex, specifically”.
He said: “There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy,” he continued. Years later, in a 2016 interview with Howard Stern, he described his times at Diddy’s home as “pretty wild”. Usher is yet to comment on Combs’ arrest.
Justin Bieber
Justin and Diddy became friends at the start of the Baby star’s career when he was just 15 and Combs was in his forties. The pair first because pals back in 2009 when they met at the VMAs.
Justin had just been signed by Usher, who lived with Diddy when he was a young musician. Jimmy Kimmel asked Justin what he and Combs did when they hung out as friends. However, Combs said: “He knows better than to be talking about the things he does with big brother Puff on national television. Everything ain’t for everybody.”
J-Lo dated the Bad Boy star for two years before their split in 2001 (
mirror.co.uk)
Jennifer Lopez
J-Lo dated the Bad Boy star for two years before their split in 2001. At the time they were one of the hottest couples in showbiz. However, after they broke up, the I’m Real star didn’t have anything positive to say about the relationship.
When Radio host Big Boy previously posed the hypothetical question: “You’re on a raft in the middle of the ocean and you look in the ocean, you see two people floating. You can only pull up one because that’s how much room you have on the raft. You look in the ocean, you see Ben Affleck and you see Diddy,” J-Lo retorted: “I’d let both those mother f*****s drown!”
Leonardo DiCaprio
In a 2017 interview with Vogue, Combs said that DiCaprio was the “number one” guest on the invite list for his upcoming White Party. But that isn’t the first mention of the pair’s friendship. Images of the young Titanic star smoking and laughing at one of Diddy’s parties raised eyebrows recently, and in 2019 the Oscar-winning was filmed dancing at Diddy’s 50th birthday party.
Cassie and Diddy dated from 2007 until 2018 (
AFP via Getty Images)
Cassie Ventura
Cassie and Diddy dated from 2007 until 2018 — however, details of Combs’ abuse only came to light in 2023 when Ventura filed a lawsuit against him accusing him of a emotional abuse, violence and sex trafficking.
Diddy’s representatives initially denied the allegations, however when CNN made a 2016 surveillance video of Combs grabbing, dragging and kicking Ventura public in a hotel May, the rapper publicly apologised. In a statement after the video was released, Ventura said that the violence “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become”.
Now
Yung Miami
Formerly one half of popular rap duo City Girls, Yung Miami dated Diddy between 2021 and 2023, with the pair popping up at many high-profile events together, including the 2023 Met Gala.
Miami broke her silence over the allegations against her ex-boyfriend saying she can’t speak to those who have accused the disgraced rapper of abuse as “that wasn’t my experience.”
Yung Miami (real name Caresha Brownlee), addressed the allegations during a conversation with Saucy Santana during the season two premiere of her Revolt TV show, Caresha Please.
Yung Miami dated Diddy between 2021 and 2023 (
WireImage)
Nathalie Moar worked as the head of Combs’ communications for over twenty years, but has stepped down since his arrest (
Getty Images for The Recording Academy)