One day after Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused of rape and abuse by his former romantic partner, old interviews of people associated with the rapper and music executive have resurfaced in which they addressed his alleged problematic behavior.
Cassie, a singer and entertainer whose full name is Casandra Ventura, alleged in a complaint filed Thursday that Combs raped and physically abused her — including punching, beating, kicking and stomping on her — over the course of their relationship. Combs’ lawyer denied allegations made by Ventura in the complaint, filed in federal court in New York City, calling them outrageous and offensive.
Some in Combs’ orbit have in the past discussed witnessing or being subjected to other concerning behavior from the rapper. A representative for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the resurfaced interview clips.
In one resurfaced video from 2022, which was posted and reshared on X, rapper Yung Joc gives an interview with VladTV in which he claims that while he was hanging out with Combs, he witnessed the rap mogul urging Ventura to shave her head.
He “jumped off the bar, came over there and said, ‘Yo, yo, Cassie. Tomorrow, I want you to shave the side of your head,’” Young Joc, whose real name is Jasiel Amon Robinson, said.
He said that he then addressed Ventura.
“So, I was looking at Cassie and I was like, ‘You not ’bout to do that are you?’” he said. “She said, ‘Well, I mean, whatever Sean wants, I’m gonna do.’”
A representative for Yung Joc did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NBC News has reached out to Ventura’s attorney and representative for comment.
Some people on X also shared screenshots from an interview Kimora Lee Simmons gave to New York Magazine in 2004, in which the fashion designer alleged that Combs threatened to hit her while she was pregnant. She told the publication that he got down on his knees to apologize.
Simmons was friends with Combs’ former partner, Kim Porter, who died in 2018 from a lung infection.
A representative for Simmons did not respond to a request for comment.
Combs, who built a reputation as a rapper with hits including “I’ll Be Missing You,” rose to prominence in the ’90s producing for the late Notorious B.I.G.
After a 1999 shooting at a New York nightclub that injured three people, Combs was acquitted of bribery and weapons-related charges.
He was recognized with the 2022 BET Lifetime Achievement Award and with the Global Icon Award at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
Ventura alleged in the complaint that Combs lured her into a relationship from the time they began working together. The two met in 2005, and he later signed her to his record label, Bad Boy Records, with a 10-album deal. According to the complaint, “all aspects of Ms. Ventura’s life were controlled by either Mr. Combs or his management companies” over the course of their relationship.
The suit states that Ventura tried to end the relationship in 2018 at a dinner with Combs, “after which he forced her into her home and raped her.” Ventura tried to “escape his tight hold over her life” a number of times, the suit alleges, but every time, Combs or his associates would track her down.
CORRECTION (Nov. 17, 2023, 11:25 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled Cassie’s first name. She is Casandra Ventura, not Cassandra.
