The Diddy Saga Just Keeps Getting Wilder. Here’s What We Know.

New potential developments in the federal criminal case against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs came to light on Tuesday when a Texas attorney, Tony Buzbee, held a press conference to announce that an additional 120 accusers will soon come forward with allegations of “violent sexual assault or rape, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings, [and] sexual abuse of minors” against Combs. Buzbee—who was the lead defense attorney for Rebecca Grossman, the Southern California socialite found guilty of murder for a 2020 hit-and-run that claimed the lives of two tween boys—said that he is representing accusers with allegations that go back more than two decades. According to NBC, Buzbee also mentioned that other defendants will be named, and confirmed plans to start filing the suits “in various states within the next 30 days.” Combs’ lawyers state that the producer vehemently denies the claims, calling the allegations “meritless” as well as “false and defamatory.”

This is the latest in an ongoing legal saga for Combs that sprawls into more than 12 separate high-profile civil suits and, since the rapper’s arrest just over two weeks ago, a landmark federal criminal case that has rocked the entire entertainment industry. Between the past year of allegations, house raids, an explosive indictment, and legal peril for one of the most influential music producers in history, it’s safe to say that it’s been hard to keep up with each new turn in this story—and that’s before we even get into the myriad conspiracy theories that have bubbled up in its wake. Below, a breakdown of the most recent updates on the case.

Remind me, what went down with the initial arrest and charges?

On Sept. 16, Combs was arrested in Manhattan on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. The prosecutors issued a 14-page indictment that was unsealed the following day, which was the same day Combs was arraigned. The indictment accuses Combs of creating, operating, and protecting a “criminal enterprise” that comprises his “multi-faceted business empire” and entertainment companies. The indictment alleges that Combs “relied on the employees, resources, and influence” of this so-called criminal enterprise to not only support decades of trafficking, abuse and threats against women, and coercion to “fulfill his sexual desires,” but to also “protect his reputation” and “conceal” said conduct.

The indictment—which, as of right now, names no other defendants—made headlines not only for the severity of charges (including arson, bribery, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice), but also for some rather incendiary details. One such detail in the indictment is the claim that the feds had recovered over “1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant” during the raids of Diddy’s homes. The baby oil claims (which, of course, set the internet ablaze with comments and jokes) are related to allegations of sexual marathon-like events that the indictment says Combs called “freak-offs.” These “freak-offs,” which seem to be at the core of the case, are alleged long-running performances—between mostly women and sex workers who had purportedly been plied with alcohol and drugs—that were often filmed, sometimes nonconsensually. Per the indictment, these occasions could last for days, were often staged at high-end hotels, and were prepped for by Combs’ team like special events.

At Combs’ Sept. 17 arraignment, the multihyphenate entrepreneur pleaded not guilty to the charges, and has fiercely maintained his innocence throughout. Despite two attempts to make bail with an extensive bail package that includes the forfeiture of his loved ones’ passports, equity in his properties, and a $50 million bond, both bail pleas were denied, leaving Combs detained at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, which also made headlines for its shockingly poor reputation.

I feel like this has been ongoing for such a long time; I can’t keep up with all the details.

You wouldn’t be wrong! As a refresher, many of the allegations against Diddy appear to date back years or even decades, but the larger outcry against him only kicked off a year ago when Combs’ ex, the R&B–pop singer Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging severe recounts of abuse, rape, and assault (among other allegations). Combs settled the day after the suit was filed—that rapid decision, coupled with the claims laid forth in Ventura’s suit, is widely considered to be the inciting incident for the deluge of accusations that would soon come after. Within weeks, three other women filed civil suits alleging various combinations of assault, drugging, trafficking, and abuse. Though Diddy released a statement denying all accusations, that didn’t stop his former producer, Lil Rod, from also filing his own civil suit against the music mogul.

In March, months (and many subsequent lawsuits) after Ventura’s settlement, the public watched in shock as Combs officially became part of a sex-trafficking investigation when his Miami and Los Angeles homes were raided by Homeland Security. Then, in May, video evidence of a 2016 incident in which Combs can be seen physically abusing Ventura was obtained and released by CNN, sparking another big push of momentum in the larger case against Combs. Though he apologized for the behavior displayed in the video, he still maintains his innocence overall. In the following months, a few more civil suits were filed against the mogul, first-person essays from former industry figures who had crossed paths with him were published, and several of his affiliations (including the city of New York) cut ties with him. That takes us all the way up to his arrest, and now, his forthcoming trial.

I’m seeing so much online chatter about this that I don’t know what to make of it. How would you summarize the public response?

This is certainly the most high-profile criminal case threatening a music industry titan since R. Kelly’s, and possibly shaping up to be the most infamous one in history. Plenty of people both within and outside of the industry are wondering if this will be a turn of the #MeToo tides for the music world, building upon the dirty secrets aired in cases like R. Kelly’s, Kesha’s claims against the producer Dr. Luke, and the myriad accusations against Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons. But it’s too early to tell if this case will cause any bigger disruption in the way the industry operates than what has already been slowly changing. In an interview with GQ, Meghann Cuniff, the internet’s favorite legal affairs reporter, agreed that “any kind of reckoning within the hip-hop movement” is uncertain.

Meanwhile, a large part of the public has turned to increasingly wild conspiracy theories and worried speculation as to which other celebrities will be brought down with Combs in the near future.

Conspiracy theories! Like what?

There have been so many rumors flying around that the Root compiled a list of some of the most outlandish ones out there. These include, for example, conspiracy theories that rapper Meek Mill and Combs had a sexual relationship; that Combs strained Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ marriage and ruined J.Lo and Ben Affleck’s; that Combs’s L.A. mansion has an underground bunker; that J. Cole’s song “She Knows” links Combs to infamous celebrity deaths like Aaliyah’s; and much more.

There is no evidence for these theories, and most people involved have not commented directly on them. But a select few have gained some serious traction.

In response to a resurfaced video showing a YouTube-era 15-year-old Justin Bieber hanging out with Combs, making plans to “go get some girls,” fans immediately began speculating that Bieber had been groomed by Combs. This echoes a similar strain of conspiracy theory that alleges that Usher, Bieber’s mentor, was also groomed by Combs, given Usher’s conflicting comments about being in Combs’ life as a young teen. Furor over this rumor escalated to the point where a resurfaced quote from Khloe Kardashian in a 2014 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians was seen as damning evidence in support of the theory, and a fake Bieber song titled “Lost Myself at a Diddy Party,” widely believed to be A.I.-generated, began circulating on TikTok.

Another widespread conspiracy theory alleges that Combs had something to do with the death of his ex, the mother of his children, Kim Porter, who died in 2018 from pneumonia. Claims that Combs engaged in foul play to stop Porter from releasing an alleged tell-all memoir have been out there for a long time, but things reached a head when a mysterious memoir, claiming to be authored by Porter, was published to Amazon in September. Per Vulture’s breakdown of the conspiracy, the book—which at one point was No. 1 on Amazon’s bestseller ranking—has since been debunked. Porter’s own children published an Instagram statement on Sept. 24 saying “claims that our mom wrote a book are simply untrue,” adding “we are deeply saddened that the world has made a spectacle of what has been the most tragic event of our lives.”

Other conspiracy theories involve celebrities, many of whom have been photographed attending one of Combs’ infamous “White Parties” throughout the years. Those stars’ relationships with Combs are being seen in a new light, with rumormongers speculating that major celebrities, like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, will eventually be revealed as complicit partakers in Combs’ alleged misdeeds.

Plenty of other rumors are still circulating, in addition to those listed above. However, as Cuniff explained to GQ, it’s worth noting that these theories remain baseless.

Sure, but I’ve been hearing a lot of confusing reports and rumors about these “White Parties” and these alleged “freak-offs.” Are they the same?

They are not the same, but we don’t know much about any potential overlap. Throughout the early 2000s, Combs became known for his famously extravagant “White Parties” hosted in the Hamptons. At the time, they were the Hollywood ticket. In 2001, Combs was quoted by the Independent as saying, “Have I read The Great Gatsby? I am the Great Gatsby!” Though these parties were known to get a little salacious in the wee hours of the night—in addition to revealing photos of the revelries coming out, some have let slip about what allegedly happened behind closed doors—these Hollywood bashes appear to be a separate thing from the alleged “freak-offs” mentioned in the indictment.

The purported “freak-offs” at the heart of the case are described as oft-filmed events where sex workers were transported and hired—though, per the indictment, witnesses claim that many involved were drugged and plied with alcohol, which also could’ve been spiked, to keep them obedient—to perform sex acts with unwilling participants who were coerced to join in and allegedly blackmailed by the captured footage to remain silent about it. The indictment says these “freak-offs” were planned, with Combs’ team preparing by providing exorbitant amounts of cash, fitting hotel rooms with extra materials like linens (and, yes, baby oil), setting lighting for the cameras, and setting up IV drips to help participants recover.

OK, so that sums up the charges and the rumors—whew. What about these new developments? One hundred and twenty accusers is a lot of people!

That may not be all: According to NBC, Buzbee claimed that these 120 accusers are a fraction of some “3,000 individuals” who have approached his office with allegations. The attorney also offered a demographic breakdown, noting that the majority of the accusers are Black, that they come from over 25 different states, and that 25 of them allege they were minors at the time of the purported crimes, with one accuser apparently being as young as 9 years old at the time of the alleged incident.

Judging by Combs’ statement via his lawyer, his plea of not guilty, and his maintenance of his innocence throughout the entirety of this past year, it is unlikely he will settle any of these pending civil suits. However, as legal experts like Cuniff have stated, it’s unlikely we’ll see movement on these (or any) pending civil suits while Combs is embroiled in these criminal case proceedings.

As for those proceedings, they are ongoing in New York City, but there have been no real legal updates beyond the events at his arraignment. Most recently, Combs—with the newly contracted help of jail-mate Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyer—filed an appeal to a higher court in his third attempt to make bail as reports circulate that he intends to take the stand, despite possible discouragement from his legal counsel. While we wait for the trial to really get underway, civil suits against Combs continue to roll in amid reports of there being multiple documentaries in the making (one produced by rapper 50 Cent). It’s entirely safe to say that this is far from the end.