Sean “Diddy” Combs broke his silence and apologized to ex Cassie Ventura two days after surveillance footage from 2016 was released that showed him apparently physically assaulting her.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life. But sometimes you gotta do that,” Combs, 54, began in a video posted via Instagram on Sunday, May 19.
He said he was “f–ked up” and “hit rock bottom” at the time the incident took place, though said there are “no excuses” for his behavior. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” Combs continued. “I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
After the altercation took place, Combs said that he “sought professional help” and started “going to therapy” and “rehab.”
“I had to ask God for his mercy and grace,” he concluded. “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.”
Following Combs’ video, Ventura’s lawyer, Meredith Firetog, issued a statement claiming that the video was “more about himself than the many people he has hurt.”
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” the statement continued. “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
Combs broke his silence on the matter just two days after CNN obtained a video that apparently showed him kicking and shoving Ventura, 37, when they were staying at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, on March 5, 2016. The altercation took place in the hallway of the hotel after Ventura attempted to leave the building and go home.
In November 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs claiming that he raped and physically abused her through their relationship. The former couple – who dated on-off from 2007 until 2018 – settled the case just one day after it made headlines. Prior to releasing the apology video, Combs had adamantly denied claims that he abused Ventura.
The incident at InterContinental Hotel – which has since closed – was mentioned in the lawsuit. The paperwork detailed that Combs was allegedly “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye” during their stay at the hotel.
Ventura attempted to leave the hotel room when Combs fell asleep. However, he woke up and “followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her” and he allegedly threw a “glass vase” at her.
The complaint stated that Ventura managed to leave the hotel and took a cab to her apartment, though ultimately returned to the hotel because she thought “running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her.”
Once she arrived back at the hotel, “security staff urged her to get back into a cab and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway,” according to the complaint.
The “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper allegedly paid InterContinental Century City $50,000 in order to obtain the hallway security footage, per the complaint.
“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, said in response to the lawsuit at the time. “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.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
InTouch
