Sean ‘Diddy’ lawyers ask Netflix not to air series about the rapper.
International Desk, Dec 2 (EFE).
The lawyers of the rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, currently ín prison, have sent a cease-and-desist letter to Netflix not to release the mini-series about the controversial artist claiming that it uses stolen footage.
The miniseries, scheduled to premiere Tuesday, has been produced by fellow rapper Curtis Jackson – better known as ‘50 Cent’ -, and deals with the life of ‘Diddy’ Combs and the accusations of abuse against him, for which he has been convicted.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for Combs accused Netflix of using “stolen footage that was never authorized for release” and called the series a “shameful hit piece.”
The footage being referred to of the series titled “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” appears in the official trailer of the Netflix project, released Monday.
Combs’ spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told CNN that Combs was filming his activities and career for decades with the aim of documenting his life for a future documentary.
Engelmayer explained that the footage from the Netflix trailer, filmed six days before Combs’ arrest in September 2024, was a part of that project.
“Sean was making his own documentary since he was 19 years old. This footage was commissioned as part of it,” said Engelmayer.
He said neither Combs, who is serving a four-year sentence, nor his team have seen the Netflix documentary in advance.
“We will see it tonight. Neither Netflix, nor Mr. Jackson were kind enough to offer us a screener,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Netflix spokesperson referred CNN to a statement from the director of the docuseries, Alexandra Stapleton, who claimed that the filmmaker’s team obtained the material legally.
“It came to us, We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” Stapleton said. “One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.”
In their cease-and-desist letter to Netflix, Combs’ lawyers threatened, for their part, to take further legal action.
“As you are undoubtedly aware, Mr. Combs has not hesitated to take legal action against media entities and others who violate his rights, and he will not hesitate to do so against Netflix,” said Combs’ legal team.
Combs previously filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal over a documentary about Combs that aired on Peacock, “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.”
The artist, founder of the record label Bad Boy Records and promoter of the careers of musicians such as The Notorious BIG or Danity Kane, is now serving a sentence after being convicted in July of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
The artist, founder of the record label Bad Boy Records and promoter of the careers of musicians such as The Notorious BIG or Danity Kane, is now serving a sentence after being convicted in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
After a trial that lasted two months, Combs, 55, was exonerated of the most serious crimes he faced – sex trafficking and organized crime.
Prosecutors accused Diddy of forcing his now ex-girlfriends into encounters with male sex workers that typically included drug use, such as ecstasy or ketamine, that could last for days. EFE
