Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Ups and Downs Through the Years in 19 Clicks

On December 28, 1991, Sean "Diddy" Combs launched a charity basketball game at City College of New York, where nine people died and at least 29 others got injured following a fatal stampede. The tragedy happened as the crowd tried to get into the gym to watch the game featuring Boyz II Men, Heavy D, Jodeci, Run-DMC and Big Daddy Kane.

One of the victims, Sharmayne Jones, told The Daily Beast she still felt traumatized decades after the incident.

"If I go to a concert, if I'm not in the first five rows, I'm not going. I don't do large crowds; I don't do larger rooms," she said. "Even to this day, I still have lower back pain from that."

Then-New York City Mayor David Dinkins' administration slammed Combs in a 67-page report titled "A Failure of Responsibility," saying the rapper failed to hire adequate and experienced security personnel. He eventually settled the lawsuits filed by the victims' families in 2000.

Combs was accused of allegedly getting involved in the killing of Jake Robles, a security guard and Marion "Suge" Knight's friend, outside an Atlanta nightclub in 1995. Then-Fulton County Sheriff Deputy Chris Howard told the police the brawl began between members of the Bad Boy and Death Row Records entourage, and the "I'll Be Missing You" singer's name was linked to the shooting.

Combs found himself embroiled in more issues in the 1990s due to the different scuffles he got involved in.

His first arrest in 1999 happened after he was charged with a felony and accused of beating Steve Stoute due to a dispute over a music video scene featuring Combs getting nailed to a cross. The "Coming Home" rapper apologized and avoided the lawsuit after his rival asked the Manhattan district attorney to drop the case.

However, he was still required to pay Stoute $500,000 following the incident.

Combs and his group were named in another lawsuit when cable TV host Roger Mills accused them of attacking him when he asked the artist about Bad Boy, who was killed in 1997.

Mills sued Combs for alleged destruction of property, false imprisonment and assault, but the record producer won the case after the jury supported his accusation that Mills was exploiting him for media attention.

Before the year 1999 ended, Combs was slapped with another case for alleged criminal possession of a weapon while he was with his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, at a New York Night Club.

Combs' baby mama, Kim Porter, filed a lawsuit to ask him for additional child support. They settled and continuously co-parented their children until she died in 2019.

Diddy's former consultant, James Sabatino, targeted him with a now-dismissed lawsuit claiming the former Uptown Records' talent director owed him more than $19 million. He alleged he accompanied Notorious B.I.G. in Miami in 1994 and paid for the travel expenses at that time.

Multiple media outlets claimed Combs and J. Cole made a scene at a 2013 MTV VMAs afterparty after the intoxicated "Closer to God" hitmaker confronted Kendrick Lamar due to her verse on Big Sean's track "Control."

The fight broke when J. Cole intervened and allegedly said inappropriate things to Combs and his then-girlfriend, Cassie.

The Miami New-Times reported in December 2014 the fight between Combs and Drake over the rights to 0 to 100 beat. The brawl allegedly happened outside the LIV nightclub amid a Basel Weekend launched by DJ Khaled.

"I don't care if your dad's here. This is UCLA. I'm going to treat you just like I treat everyone else," then-UCLA assistant football coach Sal Alosi reportedly told Diddy's son Justin Combs. After learning about the incident, the father-and-son tandem went to his office, where an argument started.

"The various accounts of the event and charges that are being reported are wholly inaccurate," a representative said of the reports. What we can say now is that any actions taken by Mr. Combs were solely defensive in nature to protect himself and his son."

Diddy's physical abuse lawsuit started in 2019 when his ex Gina Huynh disclosed to Tasha K that her former partner allegedly abused her by stomping on her stomach and punching her in the back of her head.

"He was mentally, emotionally and physically abusing me. He would always compare me to Cassie and tell me that I'm the bad one, she's a good one," she claimed.

In June, Diddy's son with Misa Hylton, Justin, was arrested over an alleged DUI in Beverly Hills. Police reportedly stopped the younger Combs for running a red light, but the authorities soon suspected alcohol impairment.

Justin was booked at the Los Angeles County Jail on a misdemeanor DUI charge, and the arrest led the matriarch to call out her mogul ex for being "a bad example" for their son.

“I’m not protecting no one anymore, just my son,” the mom-of-three wrote. “The statement ‘a fish rots from the head down’ means that, in addition to being a major contributing factor in a family or organization’s success, leadership is also the root cause of its failure and demise.”

She also referenced Diddy's then-relationship with Yung Miami as she declared she "should have kept" her child with her.

On November 16, Diddy's ex Cassie claimed the music mogul was abusive to her throughout their relationship and even raped her when she tried to end things with him. RadarOnline.com learned in the lawsuit Diddy also "punched, beat, kicked and stomped on her" and forced her to engage in sexual acts with male s—workers that "lasted for days."

"Mr. Combs would then instruct Ms. Ventura and the sex workers to speak to each other, and then would specifically tell Ms. Ventura where to touch the sex workers. Mr. Combs would say things like, 'grab that big Black d---' and ask her 'how does it feel?' as he directed her to perform for him," part of the lawsuit read.

Diddy's lawyer, Ben Brafman, denied the lawsuit after the filing, and both parties reached a confidential settlement a day later.

After Cassie's lawsuit, a second accuser — who reportedly attended Syracuse University college — filed a case in which she alleged Diddy drugged, raped and recorded her at a recording studio. A s-- tape was reportedly shared and released to his friends.

Diddy's representatives, meanwhile, branded the accusations as a "money grab."

A third victim named Diddy in a separate lawsuit claiming he and Aaron Hall raped her and a friend in the 1990s. He allegedly assaulted and choked her days later, which led her to pass out.

On March 25, Homeland Security Investigations raided Diddy's Los Angeles and Miami properties as part of an ongoing investigation. They received assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and local law enforcement partners.

In response to the raids, Diddy's lawyer, Aaron Dyer, called out the authorities for causing the situation.

"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences," said Aaron. "There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated."

CNN released video footage showing Diddy grabbing, kicking and attacking Cassie during their stay at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. The clip contained several camera angles showing Diddy assaulting his then-girlfriend like what Cassie claimed in her November 2023 lawsuit.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, they were aware of the video but could not charge Diddy due to the statute of limitations.

Following the release of the video, Diddy uploaded a video statement on Instagram to address his "inexcusable" behavior.

"I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," he said. "I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to be a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry."

Cassie's attorney, Meredith Firetog, penned a statement as a response to Diddy's apology, saying that it was "more about himself than the many people he has hurt."

Meredith continued, "When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. That he was only compelled to 'apologize' once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words."