Aubrey O’Day reacted to her former Making the Band boss Sean “Diddy” Combs’ apology video after footage of him assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016 resurfaced.
“Diddy did not apologize to Cassie. He apologized to the world for seeing what he did,” Aubrey, 40, wrote as she reposted Diddy’s denial of Cassie’s November 2023 lawsuit via X on Sunday, May 19. “He says he’s ‘disgusted with himself now and he was disgusted with himself then,’ but apparently wasn’t disgusted enough with himself to not PIN this statement out calling her a liar and denying it all.”
Aubrey ended her message asking Diddy, 54, to “leave God and Mercy out of this” as they “aren’t present here.”
Diddy made headlines on May 17, when surveillance footage taken at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, showed him appearing to shove, kick and drag his then-girlfriend, 37, in a disturbing altercation.
Two days after the video footage was released, the Bad Boy mogul responded to the allegations with a one-minute clip posted to social media. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life. But sometimes you gotta do that,” he began in a video posted on Sunday, May 19. “I was f–ked up, I mean I hit rock bottom.”
He went on to say he “made no excuses” as his behavior in the video with Cassie was “unexcuseable.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now,” he continued. “I went out and sought out professional help. I’ve been going to therapy, I’ve been going to rehab … I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
One day later, Cassie’s lawyer Meredith Firetog, Partner at Wigdor LLP, responded to Diddy’s apology video in a statement obtained by People.
“Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt,” the statement read. “When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.”
Diddy was “only compelled” to “apologize” after his “repeated denials” were proven false. “No one will be swayed by his disingenuous words,” Firetog concluded.
Aubrey’s connection with Diddy traces back to the early 2000s when she made her debut on MTV’s Making the Band 3. During her time on the reality TV series, she was selected to join the girl group Danity Kane, along with members Dawn Richards, Shannon Bee, D. Wood and Aundrea Fimbres. Diddy later kicked Aubrey out of the band in 2006 but claimed there was “no bad blood” between them.
Aubrey later spoke out on her firing, telling “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper that she was let go from the girl group because she “wasn’t willing to do what was expected” of her — “not talent-wise, but in other ways.”
Although Diddy never responded to the claims made by the “Show Stopper” artist, earlier this year, Aubrey claimed in the documentary TMZ Presents: The Downfall of Diddy that Diddy attempted to silence her by offering her the publishing rights on Bad Boy Records.
“I think you would probably be making moves to keep as many people quiet as possible,” she claimed of his motivations.
Aubrey has also been an outspoken advocate for Cassie, who was in a relationship with Diddy from 2007 to 2018. Cassie spoke out about the violence in her relationship with Diddy in November 2023, when she named her ex-boyfriend in a lawsuit alleging rape and ongoing abuse.
“Been trynna tell y’all for years. Prayers up for this queen 🙌🏼 @cassie,” Aubrey wrote via her Instagram Story at the time. “Only day ya’ll are gonna put some respect on my name when I tell you things.”
After the news of Cassie’s lawsuit broke, Diddy “vehemently denied” the “offensive and outrageous allegations.”
“For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail,” Comb’s lawyer, Ben Brafman, responded in the suit. “Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
One day after the suit was filed, the exes announced they had reached a settlement. “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control over,” Cassie told Us Weekly in a statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
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