After his ex-girlfriend’s assault footage becomes public, Diddy issues an apology

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs issued an apology on Sunday following the discovery of hotel security footage that captured him hitting his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura. The incident happened in 2016.

In an Instagram video, Combs stated, “My behaviour on that video is inexcusable.” He also said he was “disgusted” and “sought out professional help,” including therapy and rehab, following the event. He apologised profusely. “I’m committed to be a better man each and every day.”

Federal officials raided Combs’ properties this year, and he is the subject of multiple civil lawsuits portraying him as a violent sexual predator who used narcotics and alcohol to pacify his victims. In disturbing video released on Friday, Combs is seen disparaging Ventura, a model and singer better known by her stage name Cassie, supporting claims the singer made in a lawsuit that has since been settled late last year.

The video, which CNN released, shows the rap mogul kicking, dragging, and striking Ventura. Ventura claimed in a recent complaint that Combs had forced her to use narcotics and physical force for more than ten years, in addition to raping her in 2018.

As shown in the video, Ventura exits a hotel room, and Combs follows her while seemingly just wearing a towel. Combs then throws Ventura to the floor of the corridor and attacks her. Her attorney Douglas Wigdor released a statement that said, “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr. Combs.”

In a shocking lawsuit that was resolved out of court, Ventura accused Combs of sexual assault in federal court last autumn. This was followed by several more outrageous allegations against the hip-hop artist. When Ventura first saw Combs, she was 19 and he was 37. He then signed her to his label and they started dating.

In the past, Combs has angrily refuted every charge made against him. In a December 2023 statement posted on his Instagram profile, he declared, “Enough is enough,” alleging that the accusers were “looking for a quick payday.” “For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.”

Following the release of the apologetic video on Sunday, a second Ventura attorney retorted, claiming that Combs’ statement “rings hollow.” According to celebrity website TMZ, attorney Meredith Firetog stated, “That he was only forced to ‘apologise’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”

In a widely reported bicoastal operation in March, armed agents barged into Combs’s expansive estates in Los Angeles and Miami, raising suspicions that the rapper was the subject of an ongoing investigation.