Netflix has defended its new documentary about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs‘ insisting it is “not a hit piece or an act of retribution”.
It comes after the rapper’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist to the streamer ahead of its airing, claiming that 50 Cent‘s new docuseries about the disgraced artist uses “stolen” footage.
The four-part show, titled Sean Combs: The Reckoning, was released on Netflix yesterday (December 2). It was first reported that 50 Cent – real name Curtis Jackson – was working on the doc in 2023. He serves as an executive producer on the project, which was directed by Alex Stapleton.
In a statement to the outlet, a spokesperson for Combs accused the streaming giant of using “stolen footage that was never authorised for release”. They also described the docuseries as a “shameful hit piece”.
Combs’ spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, said Combs had been continuously filming himself for decades to chronicle his life for a future documentary.
“Sean was making his own documentary since he was 19 years old. This footage was commissioned as part of it,” Engelmayer said in an email to CNN.
He claimed that the footage seen in Netflix’s trailer, which was filmed six days before Combs’ September 2024 arrest, was intended for that long-running project.
A spokesperson for Netflix initially responded by referring to a statement from director Stapleton, the latter of whom claimed that her team had obtained the footage legally. “It came to us. We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” she said.
“We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades.” Stapleton added: “We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.”
Now, Netflix has issued a response in a statement via BBC News, defending the documentary.
The streamer said: “The claims being made about Sean Combs: The Reckoning are false. The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix. The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution.
“Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.”
Jackson also spoke about the documentary telling ABC News‘ Good Morning America, earlier this week: “If I didn’t say anything, you would interpret it as that hip-hop is fine with his behaviours. There’s no-one else being vocal.”
Earlier this year, Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison following his conviction on federal prostitution-related charges. A judge said a “substantial sentence” was required to “send a message to abusers and victims alike that abuse against women is met with real accountability”.
In July, 12 New Yorkers acquitted the music mogul of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which carried a potential life sentence. They did, however, find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution involving his two ex-girlfriends, Cassandra Ventura and “Jane”.
