Rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs faces a slew of allegations accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and sexual abuse. Now, comedian and The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon appears to be standing by him in his darkest hour.
In February, prior to the U.S. Homeland Security raids on Combs' homes, Cannon spoke on the disgraced rapper in an episode of his YouTube podcast show, "Counsel Culture." Cannon, who was fired from ViacomCBS for "anti-Semitic conspiracies" and "hateful speech" in 2020, had something to say about the matter.
Despite the current allegations and more recent developments in Combs' cases, Cannon decided to repost the clip from February. This comes at time when outlets, including Music Times, have questioned why more celebrities and other industry figures have not been vocally condemning Combs or speaking out against this type of alleged behavior.
In the video, Cannon explains that he had been asked "about Puff" in a previous interview with "'The Breakfast Club' or Angela Yee or something." In the interview, he was asked about Combs and describes what is essentially both-sides-ing the situation.
Cannon said that he was "praying for Cassie" and saw that she was "someone who was hurt, who was victimized." However, he followed up this support by wondering "what about Puff?" He elaborated, divulging how Combs had "stood by me, stood up for me." He feels as though Combs was the only person who "would protect [him.]"
He said, "I find difficulty when I'm asked about people I know about."
Cannon, speaking to inspirational speaker and lawyer Iyanla Vanzant, elaborated on his intimate relationship with Combs and Ventura. "They're not just public figures to me, so I have to almost do this dance about when it comes up, because just as much as I know Diddy, I know Cassie," he said.
"He shouldn't be in the public," concluded Cannon, apparently believing that Combs deserves privacy to "heal."
The allegations against Combs come from multiple alleged victims, but the first lawsuit was filed in November 2023 by his ex-girlfriend, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. Ventura sued Combs for "rape, and of repeated physical abuse over about a decade." She also claims that Combs trafficked her, "forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes" and filming the rapes.
Per Ventura's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, Combs had previously "offered Ms. Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit." Combs and Ventura settled outside of court after Ventura filed suit. In a statement, Combs said that the two had "decided to resolve this matter amicably."
He went on to "wish Cassie and her family all the best." Ventura, meanwhile, described settling out of court as a decision to "resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control."
Since Ventura's suit, multiple victims, including producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, have alleged a variety of charges regarding Combs sexually abusing them. Most victims allege that they were raped by Combs, or Combs and unnamed accomplices. Multiple claim that Combs trafficked them via private jet.
On March 25, Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided by U.S. Homeland Security teams. Combs has yet to be charged by federal prosecutors. Regarding the extensive list of allegations against him, Combs has denied all of them.
