First comes pride, and then the fall — and after that, the documentary series.
While rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs remains in federal prison in Brooklyn on a slew of sex traffic, racketeering, sex assault, and abuse charges, at least two documentary projects are in the works that promise to bring even more attention to the growing number of allegations facing the disgraced music mogul. One such docuseries is happening at Investigation Discovery from Maxine Productions, producer of the Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV docuseries that blew up on Max a few months ago.
According to ID, the docuseries will premiere in 2025 and explores “the rise and influence of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and the allegations of violent behavior and illegal activity that have trailed the music mogul. As accounts of sexual assault, abusive behaviors, and other disturbing claims surface, the doc traces the story of this self-proclaimed Bad Boy, unraveling allegations of a pattern of depravity.”
To me, though, the more interesting of the confirmed Diddy docuseries is the one being produced by his longtime nemesis, 50 Cent, which Netflix has now confirmed will be coming to the streaming giant. I first previewed this one back in the spring, and just as a reminder: The series is not only focused on the many sexual assault allegations against Diddy; 50 Cent has also promised to donate proceeds from the project to victims of sexual assault.
“This is a story with significant human impact,” said 50 Cent and director Alexandra Stapleton said in a joint statement about the Netflix project. “It is a complex narrative spanning decades, not just the headlines or clips seen so far. We remain steadfast in our commitment to give a voice to the voiceless and to present authentic and nuanced perspectives. While the allegations are disturbing, we urge all to remember that Sean Combs’s story is not the full story of hip hop and its culture. We aim to ensure that individual actions do not overshadow the culture’s broader contributions.”
Diddy has certainly been no stranger to controversy for years now, but his career has essentially been in free-fall for months. As the latest allegations against him began to stack up back in the fall, Macy’s ditched his clothing brand, while several companies likewise cut ties with the rapper’s e-commerce business (and Hulu also pulled the plug on a reality series about his family). And then the feds rolled in, hitting the rapper with racketeering and sex trafficking charges in an indictment that includes allegations from as far back as 2008.
According to reports, among the crimes he’s accused of are “inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances dubbed ‘Freak Offs.'”
