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 Combs’ 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 sought possible explanations as to what turned him into the embattled figure he is today — imprisoned and facing 100 civil lawsuits alleging physical and sexual abuse.
The project features some of the same interview subjects from the podcast circuit as well as 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 were also several new faces including jurors from the mogul’s criminal trial; Diddy Dirty Money singer Kalenna Harper — who defended 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 the music label after Combs threatened Burrowes with a baseball bat.
According to Burrowes, he had 25 percent stake in the company, and Janice Combs owned the other 75 percent of Bad Boy Records. He explained 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.
At the time, Burrowes and Combs were good friends. Burrowes said 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 the label off the ground.
Burrowes and Sermon said 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 that he organized, nine people were killed when a crowd rushed the doors at the sold-out event and the victims were crushed.
“That’s how he got super famous, that game and those deaths,” Sermon said. “That was the beginning of Puff Daddy.”
Sermon noted Combs had a habit of changing his moniker after something horrible would happen.
Burrowes said Combs and his mother tried to escape the media onslaught from the stampede by staying at a hotel. He recalled Janice making the mistake of questioning if her son had made the right decision by leaving college.
Combs did not like it. Burrowes alleged Combs lost it and physically attacked his mom.
“He’d just left school and now this extreme tragedy occurred,” Burrowes said. “I saw him put his hands on her, call her a b–h, and slapped her. He’s not looking back.”
A slate appeared on screen saying the filmmakers “reached out” to Sean 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, he said he invited Combs and Hylton to the set.
Sermon quickly realized Combs wasn’t there to support his music, but instead “had an agenda… to court” Hylton.
Soon after, the two started dating. Still, Sermon said 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 chimed in about his childhood friend’s relationship with Hylton.
Burrowes agreed 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 said about Hylton. “She’s on the ground and people are pulling him off of her.”
Burrowes said Hylton stayed with Combs and a year or two later, they welcomed 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 said 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 admitted, before insisting he’s now seen the light.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning is now streaming on Netflix.
The image above shows (L-R) Kirk Burrowes, Sean Combs and Misa Hylton and is courtesy of Netflix and Shutterstock.
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