Also included in the GMA segment is footage from the docuseries of Combs that was shot in the days leading up to his arrest.
“As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way.
Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and admired the legacy of [Sarandos’ late father-in-law] Clarence Avant.
We’re losing.” Footage from GMA also shows Diddy with a fan, then later asking for hand sanitizer and saying he’s been “in the streets amongst the people.
Sean Combs: The Reckonning releases on Tuesday on Netflix.
The team of Sean “Diddy” Combs is criticizing the new Netflix documentary by producer and longtime rival rapper 50 Cent, calling it “a shameful hit piece” that is “unfair,” “illegal,” and “unnecessary and deeply personal affront.” The series includes footage of the troubled mogul’s life taken in the days leading up to his arrest in September 2024. The “.
The blistering statement from Combs’ publicist comes hours after Good Morning America aired a segment that features an interview with 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, and Alex Stapleton, the director of Sean Combs: The Reckoning. Also included in the GMA segment is footage from the docuseries of Combs that was shot in the days leading up to his arrest. Combs is currently serving a 50-month sentence on charges related to his high-profile federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial that took place this summer. The trial resulted in a split verdict, finding Combs guilty of Mann Act-related charges but sparing him from life in prison for the sex trafficking and RICO charges.
“The so-called “documentary” on Netflix is a disgraceful hit. “Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release,” PR representative Juda Engelmayer told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement on Monday afternoon. “As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work.
“Netflix is plainly desperate to sensationalize every minute of Mr. Combs’s life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalize on a never-ending media frenzy. If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr. Combs’ legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context — including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. The statement goes on, “No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.”.
“It is equally staggering that Netflix handed creative control to Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson — a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs. Beyond the legal issues, this is a personal breach of trust. Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and admired the legacy of [Sarandos’ late father-in-law] Clarence Avant. For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected,” the statement concludes.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Monday ahead of the docuseries Tuesday release, both Jackson and Stapleton were tight-lipped about how the pre-arrest footage was acquired for their series, with the rapper asking THR, “Why would you ask us to reveal our sources?”.
Stapleton told THR that the video was acquired entirely lawfully.
But on Monday, the New York Times published an additional statement from Engelmayer claiming that the video was “never authorized for release.”. According to the representative, it contains “private moments, pre-indictment material from an unfinished project and conversations involving legal strategy.”.
A second trailer for the Netflix series was released on Monday morning. It shows Combs in a hotel room six days prior to his arrest at a Manhattan hotel in September 2024. “We have to find somebody that’ll work with us that has dealt in the dirtiest of dirty business,” the mogul says in a phone call included in the trailer.
In the GMA segment, the rap mogul, who is now serving his sentence in New Jersey while working on an appeal of his case, is also seen in footage from the series in what appears to be a conversation with his attorneys.
“Listen to me,” Combs is seen saying by phone inside a hotel room. “I am going to let you professionals look at the situation and come back to me with a solution. … Y’all are not working together the right way. We’re failing.
Footage from GMA also shows Diddy with a fan, then later asking for hand sanitizer and saying he’s been “in the streets amongst the people. I’ve got to take a bath. ”.
THR has reached out to Netflix regarding Engelmayer’s statements but did not immediately hear back from the streaming giant.
Sean Combs: The Reckonning releases on Tuesday on Netflix. ”.
