Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mother, Janice Small Combs, has spoken out in support of her son amid recent legal troubles involving accusations of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
In a statement released on Sunday through her attorney, Natlie G. Figgers, on behalf of the Combs family, she acknowledged that while her son is not without flaws and has “made mistakes in the past, as we all have,” he is not guilty of the accusations against him.
“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” she said with The Hollywood Reporter. “To bear witness 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.”
The statement came five days after it was revealed that Combs is now facing lawsuits from 120 additional accusers, on top of the dozen he was already confronting. Attorney Tony Buzbee, representing several men and women, stated on Tuesday that these accusations involve sex crimes dating back to 1991. Many of the accusers claim they were drugged and then raped, according to Buzbee.
These new allegations follow nearly a year after Combs settled a lawsuit with singer Cassie Ventura, his ex-girlfriend, who accused him of rape and abuse. While Combs denied the accusations, a video surfaced in May showing him physically assaulting her in a hotel. Two days after the video’s release, he publicly expressed being “truly sorry” for his actions.
In her statement, Janice Small Combs acknowledged that her son had lied about the incident but provided her own reasoning for why he did so.
“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,” she said.
“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 my 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.”
Janice further contended that while her son may have lied about that incident, it does not mean he is guilty of the “repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him.” She maintained that the accusations do not reflect who her son truly is and that the legal claims should not be conflated with his past mistakes.
“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,’” she went on.
“History has showed us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes.”
Janice also expressed her pain over the “jokes” being made at her son’s expense, stating that it’s been difficult for her to witness. She emphasized that her son is not being given a fair opportunity to share his side of the story, and that the public scrutiny has been deeply hurtful for the family. Janice urged people to withhold judgment until all the facts come to light.
“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,” she said.
Janice further suggested that the allegations against her son are being driven by people seeking financial gain in the wake of the settlement with Cassie Ventura. She expressed her belief that many of the accusers are motivated by money rather than truth, implying that the timing of the new accusations is suspicious following the high-profile settlement.
“These lies thrown at him are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice,” she said.
“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.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in mid-September after a grand jury indictment, facing serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He has been denied bail, intensifying the spotlight on the unfolding legal battles surrounding him.
