A former Vibe magazine editor is once again accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of threatening her life over a cover dispute — this time on video.
The allegations are included in an upcoming Investigation Discovery (ID) docuseries titled The Fall of Diddy.
In a newly released preview clip, Danyel Smith, 59, recounts her alleged experience with the music mogul during her time as editor-in-chief of Vibe.
“Mr. Combs wanted to see the covers before they were published,” Smith says.
“It was policy for us not to show covers to anyone before they were published,” she continues in the clip. “He called me at my office, I told him again we don’t show the covers.”
Related: Diddy Hits Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell With $50M Defamation Lawsuit for ‘Outlandish Claims’
When Smith refused to make an exception, she alleges Combs told her he would see her “dead in a trunk” if she did not show it to him.
“I said to him, ‘You need to take that back,’” Smith recalled. “He said something to the effect, that he wasn’t ‘taking s–t back,’ so then I said, ‘I’m calling my attorney.’”
According to Smith, her attorney contacted Combs, warning that law enforcement would be involved if he didn’t issue an apology.
“I think it took about 90 minutes to two hours, and I received that faxed apology,” Smith said.
“What I only recently came to realize, through members of the staff at that time, was that he had actually, in the days before, come up to the Vibe offices with two tough guys looking for me,” she added.
This is the first time Smith is sharing her story on video. But in July 2024, she spoke to The New York Times about the incident.
The cover in question was from a December 1997-1998 January double issue, according to People.
The Fall of Diddy will also include allegations from former Danity Kane singer D. Woods, who has supported Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and her claims of abuse; Natania Reuben, who was shot in the face during a 1999 nightclub shooting involving Combs; and his former head of security Roger Bonds, who has previously alleged that Combs attacked “four or five” women, including Cassie and the late Kim Porter.
Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Combs last year, is also among those speaking out in the series.
ID’s four-part series explores the rise and influence of Combs, along with allegations of violent behavior and illegal activity that have followed him for years. It also highlights “the toxic power dynamic that played out within the industry and how it kept many survivors silenced until now,” according to the true crime network.
The Fall of Diddy is produced by Maxine Productions, the same company behind Quiet on the Set, a series about alleged abuse at Nickelodeon. Rolling Stone Films is also involved.
The series premieres across two nights, Monday, Jan. 27, and Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID and streams on Max.
Watch the new preview clip below.
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With everything else that’s going wrong in society right now, I had no desire to watch this special. Your reporting just changed my mind. ?