Diddy to Skip Grammy Awards Amid Abuse Claims

Sean "Diddy" Combs at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Garden Arena on May 15, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV — Photo by Jean_Nelson/Deposit Photos

Sean “Diddy” Combs plans to steer clear of the 2024 Grammy Awards as he faces a growing number of sexual abuse allegations.

On Friday, a rep for the hip-hop mogul told The Hollywood Reporter Combs will not attend the upcoming Grammys ceremony.

The rapper and producer’s The Love Album: Off The Grid is nominated in the best progressive R&B album category.

According to the Grammys website, Diddy previously took home three Grammys. This latest nomination marks his first nod since 2016, when he was nominated in the best rap song category for co-producing the Kanye West single “All Day.”

Related StoryDiddy Posts Birthday Tribute to Kim Porter, Setting Off Social Media Storm

The Recording Academy, which hands out the awards, said in December it was “evaluating” the status of his invitation after four different women filed lawsuits against the music mogul alleging sexual abuse.

“We are taking this matter very seriously and we are in the process of evaluating it with the time and care that it deserves,” the organization said in a statement to Rolling Stone.

The announcement followed reports saying the Grammys were scrambling to come up with a solution because some stars refused to sit near Diddy.

Six days after the Grammy nominations were announced on Nov. 10, Diddy was accused of rape, sexual battery, and human trafficking in a 35-page lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Some of the allegations in the lawsuit were so disturbing that the document contained a “trigger warning” on the first page.

Diddy denied the claims through his attorney, who called the allegations “offensive and outrageous.”

The following day, the rapper settled with Cassie for an undisclosed amount. Three more lawsuits followed.

On Nov. 23, Joi Dickerson-Neal sued Combs in Manhattan Supreme Court alleging he raped her 1991, when she was a student at Syracuse University. He denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

Also on Nov. 23, an unidentified woman filed a separate suit alleging Combs and R&B singer-songwriter Aaron Hall of the group Guy, “took turns” raping her in 1990 or 1991. Combs denied the claims in the suit. Hall did not respond to our requests for comment.

On Dec. 6, an unidentified woman filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in New York, alleging she was “sex trafficked” and “gang raped” by Combs, music executive Harve Pierre, and a third unnamed man in 2003, when she was 17 years old.

The Bad Boy Records founder immediately released a statement on Instagram denying the woman’s claims.

As the allegations piled up, Combs stepped away from his role as chairman of Revolt network.

Adding to his problems, the rapper and music producer’s family-focused reality series Diddy+7 was halted by Hulu in December. The streaming company issued a statement saying the series “is no longer in production.”

Days later, Cassie’s longtime songwriter and friend, Tiffany Red, sat down for an interview with NBC News and shared more claims about Combs.

Red said she was staying with “Me & U” singer Cassie in 2015, as she celebrated her 29th birthday. Red recalled waking up and hearing screaming.

She said Diddy looked at her and called her an “emotional-singing b–h.”

“I was like, ‘Oh, he’s talking to me,’” Red recalled. “I don’t know if you know what his voice sounds like, but I felt like I was in the presence of his monster inside.”

She said Combs turned to her and demanded that she tell Cassie she should get “some birthday d–k.”

“He’s saying this to me and I’m like, ‘Well, she doesn’t have to have sex with you if she doesn’t want to,’” Red said she told Combs.

She added, “I realized in that moment, ‘Oh, this guy is dangerous.’”

Red said she later learned Diddy wanted Cassie to take part in what he called a “freak off” session — having intimate encounters with sex workers while he watched.


Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.