A Netflix documentary’s footage of Sean «Diddy» Combs in the days leading up to his arrest offers a unique look into the life of the fallen mogul.
«Sean Combs: The Reckoning» shows a side of Diddy we’ve never seen before.
Netflix’s four-part docuseries chronicles the rise and fall of Combs, also known as Diddy, as he goes from hip-hop mogul and billionaire business owner to the subject of a federal prosecution and over 60 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse.
Combs, who pleaded not guilty, was ultimately convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and is serving a 50-month prison sentence. He was acquitted of the most serious charges, including RICO conspiracy and sex trafficking by force or fraud, and is set to be released in May 2028. Combs has denied all wrongdoing in the civil cases.
Not only does the series feature interviews with many who have been inside Diddy’s inner circle, including Bad Boy Records cofounder Kirk Burrowes, actor Mark Curry, singer Aubrey O’Day, and one of the sex workers who engaged in Diddy’s now-infamous freak offs, but it also includes never-before-seen footage of Combs in the days leading up to his arrest.
The inclusion of the latter has already made waves in the press and infuriated Combs and his team. They’ve also broadly disputed the allegations presented in the documentary.
«Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece», Combs’ spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told Business Insider. «Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr. Combs’s legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context — including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing.»
Netflix declined to comment.
«Sean Combs: The Reckoning» director Alexandria Stapleton told Business Insider that she obtained the footage legally, although she wouldn’t disclose the details of how it was acquired when asked.
The director — whose previous documentary titles include 2023’s «Reggie», on baseball legend Reggie Jackson and 2024’s «How Music Got Free» on tech changing the music industry — had been developing the project ever since Combs’ former girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, a singer under the name Cassie, accused him of rape and a «cycle of abuse» in a November 2023 lawsuit.
Though the case was quickly settled for $20 million, it opened the floodgates for a wave of misconduct suits against Combs and Ventura; Ventura would later testify against Combs in his federal trial.
Stapleton quickly found an ally in another hip-hop heavyweight, Curtis «50 Cent» Jackson, whom she featured in «How Music Got Free.» The rapper and business mogul, who has feuded with Combs for years, is an executive producer.
Combs’ team has said his involvement is due to his feud.
«I definitely knew that there were things that 50 could bring to the table that would be immensely useful to me for access», Stapleton told Business Insider.
The doc offers plenty of revelations via footage and interviews. Below, Stapleton offers insight into the most shocking moments.Never-before-seen footage shows Diddy’s final days before being arrested
Throughout the doc’s four episodes, footage from a videographer hired by Combs shows him in the days leading up to his arrest.
Stapleton, who told Business Insider that the footage was acquired «completely legally», said that she had hoped to obtain an interview with Combs.
