Sean 'Diddy' Combs Accused of Sending Two Men to Hunt Down Reporter In Bust-Up Over Magazine Cover Approval — Before 'Issuing Chilling Threat She Could End Up Dead in a Trunk'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs allegedly threatened a journalist he would see her 'dead in a trunk' if she didn't show him photos for publication ahead of time.
Jan. 24 2025, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
A journalist is coming forward with chilling claims of a terrifying run-in with Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
In a bombshell interview for the upcoming docuseries The Fall of Diddy, former Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith claimed the rapper threatened to have her "dead in a trunk" over refusing to hand over photos for a magazine story ahead of time, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith claimed Combs made threatening remarks toward her.
In 1997, Smith was thrust into a professional nightmare with Combs during preparations for Vibe's December 1997/January 1998 double issue.
Smith recalled Combs’ insistence on seeing the magazine covers before publication — an unusual request that she refused.
Smith revealed she later discovered Combs had sent people to intimidate her over the matter.
She explained in the broadcast Combs called her to lodge a complaint, during which he allegedly made the death threats.
She continued: "After the shoot, Mr. Combs wanted to see the covers before they were published. It was policy for us not to show the covers to anyone before they were published."
Smith recounted in the broadcast how Combs called her to express his frustration, during which he allegedly threatened her, saying: "I told him that I wouldn't be making an exception and he said that he would see me dead in a trunk if I did not show it to him."
Smith said she told the disgraced music mogul he had to "take that back," to which he said he "wasn't taking s--- back" – the point at which she called up her lawyer.
She explained: "My attorney called him to say that if he didn't immediately fax over an apology, my attorney was going to reach out to law enforcement.
"It took about 90 minutes to two hours and I received that faxed apology."
Smith revealed she later discovered Combs had sent people to intimidate her over the matter.
She added: "I've only recently come to realize, through the members of the staff at that time, that he had actually, in the days before, come up to the Vibe offices with two tough guys looking for me."
Last summer, Smith told The New York Times Magazine how key documents related to her 1997/98 Vibe story on Combs, The Good, the Bad, and the Puffy, had gone missing.
Her claims echos those of prosecutors in Combs' federal case, who accuse the star of using blackmail and violence to silence victims.
Combs will remain in custody at a detention center in Brooklyn, New York until his May 5 trial.
In July, RadarOnline.com revealed Smith had written an essay detailing never-before-known secrets about the music mogul – which included the threats he made toward her.
In the first-person account, Smith described her "insidious" interactions with Combs that she said left her fearing for her life — and "broke her brain" — especially in the wake of the murders of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.
Smith similarly recounted: "It wasn’t our policy to show covers before publication. When I told him no, he threatened me, saying he would see me 'dead in the trunk of a car.'"
Despite her request that Combs retract the threat, he allegedly responded: "I know where you are right now. Right on Lexington."
The magazine’s publication process was further compromised when Combs visited the Vibe offices in New York with two security personnel, where he searched through cubicles and offices.
Vibe's staff, feeling threatened, worked together to ensure Smith's safety by shuttling their boss Smith from office to office.
Adding to the scandal over the covers, Smith said the servers inside the Vibe office containing crucial elements of the publication were stolen. Rumors also spread believing movers from Bad Boy Records, Combs' own label, might have orchestrated the theft.
Smith added: "The entire memory had been removed from my mind, like the servers that were stolen from the offices."
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The 'Fall of Diddy' will premiere over two nights, January 27 and 28, on Investigation Discovery and Max.
Combs previously denied Smith's accusations and has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges following his arrest in September.
The rapper was ultimately charged in a three count indictment with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he has been denied bail several times and awaits his trial on May 5.
The Fall of Diddy will premiere over two nights, January 27 and 28, on Investigation Discovery and Max.
