Two days after the release of graphic 2016 surveillance footage in which Sean “Diddy” Combs can be seen assaulting Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, the rapper posted an apology video to Instagram. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said in Sunday’s video, the transcript of which was also provided to the Cut via email. “I was fucked up — I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.”
The video in question, which was reportedly taken at L.A.’s InterContinental Hotel on March 5, 2016, was obtained and published by CNN on Friday. In the graphic footage, Combs is shown physically abusing Ventura by shoving her to the ground, kicking her, dragging her down the hallway, and throwing what looks to be a vase at her among other disturbing instances of harm. In November, Combs and Ventura had settled out of court after she filed a federal lawsuit accusing the rapper of physical assault and rape, much of which lines up with the abuse displayed in the surveillance footage. Up until Sunday’s apology, Combs had repeatedly denied these and other allegations against him, claiming in December that he had “sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.” Now, the rapper is suddenly changing his tune.
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace,” Combs continued in the video. “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.”
In a statement provided to CNN regarding Combs’s apology video, Meredith Firetog, an attorney for Ventura, said, “Combs’s most recent statement is 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. 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.”
Since Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit, several more people have accused Combs of sexual assault — allegations he had previously denied. Investigators also raided his Miami and Los Angeles homes in March, reportedly in connection with an ongoing federal sex-trafficking investigation conducted by the Southern District of New York.
