Sean Combs: The Reckoning debuted overnight on Netflix, offering new insight into music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ life and alleged crimes.
The four-hour documentary series from executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and director Alex Stapleton chronicles the mogul’s life story from his childhood in New York to his conviction for prostitution-related Mann Act violations.
Episode 1 titled “Pain vs. Love” focused on the music mogul’s early life and offered possible explanations as to why he is now imprisoned and facing 100 civil lawsuits alleging physical and/or sexual abuse.
The series features some of the same interview subjects from the podcast circuit and earlier documentaries from Peacock and Investigation Discovery — including Diddy’s former head of security Roger Bonds, his childhood friend Tim Patterson, and R&B singer Al B. Sure.
Related: Diddy Slams 50 Cent for Using ‘Stolen’ Video in Netflix Docuseries
There are also several new faces in the Netflix series, including jurors from the mogul’s criminal trial; Diddy Dirty Money singer Kalenna Harper — who defends Combs; rapper and longtime Combs associate Erick Sermon; and Bad Boy Records co-founder Kirk Burrowes.
Burrowes filed a civil lawsuit against Combs and his mother Janice Smalls (aka Janice Combs) in February 2025, alleging they seized control of Bad Boy after Combs threatened him with a baseball bat.
According to Burrowes, he had a 25 percent stake in the company, and Janice Combs owned the other 75 percent of Bad Boy Records. He says in the docuseries that Combs put the company in his mother’s name to protect himself financially from legal claims after the deadly 1991 City College stampede in New York.
Burrowes says Combs decided to launch Bad Bad after Andre Harrell fired him from Uptown Records. According to Burrowes, Clive Davis handed over millions of dollars to help get Bad Boy off the ground.
Burrowes and Erick Sermon recall they noticed a change in Combs after the City College stampede.
Combs had dropped out of Howard University to pursue a career in the music business and worked as an event promoter on the side.
During a celebrity basketball game that Combs organized and promoted, nine people were killed when a crowd rushed the doors trying to get into the sold-out event and the victims were trampled.
“That’s how he got super famous, that game and those deaths,” Sermon says. “That was the beginning of Puff Daddy.”
Sermon notes that Combs had a habit of changing his moniker after something horrible would happen.
Burrowes recalls Combs and his mother tried to escape the media onslaught after the stampede by staying at a hotel. He recalled Janice making the mistake of questioning if her son made the right decision to leave college for the music business.
Burrowes alleges Combs became enraged and physically attacked his mom.
“I saw him put his hands on her, call her a b–h, and slapped her,” Burrowes says.
A slate appears on screen saying the filmmakers “reached out” to Combs regarding “accusations that he physically harmed his mother,” but he did not reply.
It wouldn’t be the last time Burrowes said he witnessed Combs allegedly hit a woman. The next time, he said the budding mogul attacked his then-girlfriend Misa Hylton.
The young beauty had just broken up with Sermon when Combs decided to pursue her.
“Sean wants her because Eric was that dude. He was about ‘I got her, I won her over from him,'” Burrowes said.
During a music video shoot for Sermon’s 1992 song “Crossover” with rap group EPMD, Sermon said he invited Combs and Hylton to the set.
He says he quickly realized Combs wasn’t there to support his music, but instead “had an agenda… to court” Hylton.
Soon after, Combs began dating the fashion stylist.
Sermon says he and Hylton remained friends, but Combs did not like it, and barred her from communicating with the rapper.
“Sean has a way about him, when he gets you, you become his property,” Tim Patterson chimes in about his childhood friend’s relationship with Hylton.
Burrowes agrees Combs was extremely jealous.
“Sean’s jealousy, it got to the point where he put his hands on her. Right outside of Uptown Records, they’re fighting in the street and he’s beating her into the car [wheel] well,” Burrowes says about Hylton. “She’s on the ground and people are pulling him off of her.”
Burrowes shares Hylton stayed with Combs, and a year or two later, they welcomed their son Justin Combs.
“He invited me to be the godfather of his first son. I was able to push [the alleged violence] into the back of my mind and say, ‘That was a really bad moment.'”
In hindsight, Burrowes says he regrets his silence.
“Does that make me part of a Sean Combs cult. I may have been the first disciple, believer and overall protector against all odds,” he admits, before insisting he’s now seen the light.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning is now streaming on Netflix.
The image above shows Kirk Burrowes and Sean Combs and is courtesy of Netflix and Shutterstock.
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