From hip-hop star to a criminal defendant: The journey of Sean 'Diddy' Combs | Timel
Sean “Diddy” Combs is standing trial in a case on charges of running a multi-decade racketeering and sex-trafficking conspiracy.
The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, one of the most prominent figures in global hip-hop and business, started in New York on Monday with jury selection.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is standing trial in a case on charges of running a multi-decade racketeering and sex-trafficking conspiracy.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. Here is a timeline of his rise and fall from music industry A-lister to criminal defendant:
Here is a timeline of his career and legal troubles:
1993 – Combs establishes Bad Boy Records, signing rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as The Notorious B.I.G.
1996 - Under the name “Puff Daddy,” Combs releases his first solo album, titled No Way Out, which later wins a Grammy Award for best rap album.
1999 – Charged with weapons offenses after a nightclub shooting in Times Square, New York. He is later acquitted at trial.Also Read | Jury questioning underway in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
2001- A radio host in Detroit accuses Combs of assault, claiming the rap mogul’s associates roughed him up and destroyed an interview tape. Combs denies wrongdoing and is ultimately cleared by a jury.
2003- A former business partner sues Combs for allegedly threatening him with a baseball bat. Combs denies the allegations, and the case is dismissed
2008 – Settles a lawsuit privately with a man who claimed Combs punched him outside a Hollywood nightclub.Also Read | A look at Sean Diddy Combs' dating history: All on music mogul's ex-girlfriends
2015 – Arrested for aggravated assault following an altercation with his son’s football coach. Charges are later dropped.
2017 – Sued by a former personal chef for sexual harassment and retaliation. The case was settled in 2019.
2023 – Cassie Ventura, a former girlfriend, sues Combs for rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse in November. The case is settled among them for an undisclosed amount two years later.
Nearly ten days later, another woman, Joi Dickerson-Neal from California, files a lawsuit accusing Combs of drugging and raping her when she was a university student in 1991.
Also Read | Diddy trial: Full list of allegations and charges against the rapper
May 17, 2024 – CNN publishes surveillance footage showing Combs assaulting Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Sep 16, 2024 – Arrested in New York on federal charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. Bail is denied.
May 5, 2025 – Combs' federal trial begins in Manhattan, with jury selection underway.
