Arguably the biggest pop culture arrest and legal controversy throughout 2024 revolved around former hip hop chart-topper and business mogul Diddy, whose indictment in September came after years of problematic allegations and rumors, culminating in a game-changing security video in which he was shown physically abusing then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. With a trial set for May 2025, and a new Peacock documentary relaying his scandal to the masses, is there a reality in which Sean Combs could become a global brand again?
Not a chance, at least according to Naima Cochrane, a journalist and former record exec who also happens to be a former intern for Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment brand that catapulted many artists to fame in the 1990s and beyond. Cochrane was one of several former employees and colleagues of Combs’ who spoke to Fortune on the record about their past experiences and opinions, many of which point out how good-natured his public-facing persona is compared to what he’s allegedly like behind closed doors.
In Cochrane’s mind, the Sean John founder’s reputation has been damaged beyond the point of full repair, and doesn’t think he’s capable of returning to his former heights as a mogul. In her words:
No… I mean there might be a niche market somewhere… But a global brand the way he used to be? Absolutely not. Never again.
Of course, to even have a shot at getting back into business mode for the myriad brands that he founded and helped develop over the years, Combs would need to make it through his trial in May without any guilty verdicts that could potentially keep him in jail for the majority of the rest of his life.
Should the former rapper's attorneys be successful in their efforts to prove his alleged innocence. The legal team most recently filed new court documents that claim the "freakoff" party videos that federal officials have access to do not depict the wild and chaotic orgy scenes that some have claimed them to be, and that any sexual acts on display took place consensually.
Said freakoff parties have played a large part of the public's perception of Diddy's private life, whether or not all the claims about baby oil are true. The mogul's party lifestyle in general was never a secret in Hollywood and beyond, as he attracted all manner of elite guests to his gala events - which often came with $500,000 price tags - with many celebs allegedly also sticking around for after hours activities that sparked myriad anecdotes over the years.
Speaking more generally about behavioral patterns that appear for creatives like Sean Combs, Cochrane said:
The people who tend to be great artists and creative minds also tend to be boundary pushers. They’ve been told their whole lives that because they are special, the normal rules don’t apply to them.
If Diddy gets through his court case without any convictions stemming from the hundreds of additional lawsuits that were filed after his arrest, even the former Bad Boy intern believes it possible that he could still spin some success out of smaller boutique ventures, as opposed to the splashy big-brand lifestyle he engaged in for so many years. And it seems like he'll have little trouble earning millions of dollars through selling homes and other assets.
