(NewsNation) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mother, Janice Smalls Combs, condemned the allegations against her son, likening the investigation to a “public lynching” rooted in “lies” for “financial gain.”
The business mogul wields significant wealth and power in the entertainment industry. He faces federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Smalls Combs acknowledged a video showing her son assaulting his former girlfriend in a hotel in 2016. Combs admitted to the assault in May, calling his actions “inexcusable.”
“It is important to recognize that none of us, regardless of our status, are immune to fear or mistakes,” Smalls Combs said. “Not being entirely straightforward about one issue does not mean my son is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him.”
In November 2023, Combs’ former girlfriend and fellow musician Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit alleging Combs physically and sexually abused her for years during their relationship.
They settled the suit the next day, directing further scrutiny at Combs and a series of additional lawsuits in the months that followed. Smalls Combs said she believes the allegations against her son are cash-grabs based on lies.
“These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son,” she said.
Prosecutors allege Combs used the resources of his music empire to create “a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
Read Smalls Combs’ full statement below:
“I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs. It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies. To bear witness (to) what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.
I am not here to portray my son as a perfect person because he is not. My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise. Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe by son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.
It is important to recognize that none of us, regardless of our status, are immune to fear or mistakes. Not being entirely straightforward about one issue does not mean my son is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him. Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person.’ History has showed us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes.
Watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son’s life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget. It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side. These lies thrown at him are motivated by financial gain, and not justice. These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son. False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve. To make matters worse, the federal government is now using these lies to prosecute my son. This injustice has been unbearable for our family. The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him.
I ask his supporters, fans, colleagues, friends, and the public, to not judge him before you’ve had the chance to hear his side. I beg you to think about those who have been wrongfully persecuted, to remember that not everyone who has made mistakes in life deserves to have their entire existence judged by a single action or a few mistakes. My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side. I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated.”
Janice Smalls Combs