Sean “Diddy” Combs just suffered another legal loss, with a New York court throwing out his $100 million defamation lawsuit over a Peacock documentary that aired last year.
Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond dismissed every claim Combs filed against NBCUniversal, Peacock and production company Ample LLC over Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, according to reports from AllHipHop and Law360 on Tuesday, April 21.
The court ruled Combs failed to show the companies acted irresponsibly in airing the film, which his lawsuit said pushed “salacious” claims and conspiracy theories.
“It is inconceivable as to how the Documentary created additional damage to [Diddy’s] reputation,” Perry-Bond said, citing prior lawsuits, surveillance video of Combs attacking a former girlfriend in a Los Angeles Hotel, media coverage and a criminal indictment.
The documentary premiered on Jan. 2, 2025, and received extensive media coverage.
Combs filed the complaint on Feb. 12, 2025, arguing the 90-minute film “maliciously and baselessly” portrayed him as a “monster” and drew comparisons to Jeffrey Epstein, as previously reported.
The film included interviews with former Combs associates, including one who alleged they witnessed the Bad Boy Records founder with underage girls.
The lawsuit said the documentary led viewers to believe the music mogul committed crimes such as assault, sex trafficking and even murder, all of which Combs denied.
The complaint also referenced claims made by R&B singer Al B. Sure!, who questioned the deaths of people connected to Uptown Records — where Combs got his start — including Andre Harrell, Kim Porter, and rapper Heavy D — and how the singer thought there was criminal involvement in their deaths.
NBCUniversal pushed back, arguing the documentary presented multiple viewpoints, including statements from Combs and his attorneys.
The judge ultimately applied the “libel-proof plaintiff” doctrine, ruling Combs’ reputation was already significantly damaged before the documentary aired.
The decision pointed to surveillance footage of him assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, his federal criminal indictment, and dozens of civil lawsuits.
In July 2025, Combs was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking but convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison, fined $500,0000, and given five years of supervised release.
He is currently serving his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey and is scheduled for release in 2028, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Watch our interview with the executive producer of the Peacock documentary below:
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