NEED TO KNOW
The explosive docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning examined Sean “Diddy” Combs’ life from childhood to becoming a music mogul to his eventual trial.
The four-part Netflix docuseries, which was executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and directed by Alex Stapleton, goes into detail on Combs’ decades-long career and the controversies surrounding him — including his alleged feud with Tupac Shakur, alleged abusive relationship with Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and assault allegations.
The docuseries features over a dozen interviews from people in Combs’ circle — including Aubrey O’Day, jurors from his 2025 trial and former assistant Capricorn Clark — who shed light on his personal relationships, alleged violence, career success and financial pursuits.
While the series focuses on several aspects of Combs’ life, there are other facets and allegations that weren’t covered. Here are seven details about Sean “Diddy” Combs’ life, career and controversies that were left out of Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
Details about Diddy’s alleged “freak offs” that didn’t involve Cassie
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When Combs was indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution in September 2024, prosecutors alleged that he used his business to facilitate “freak offs.”
The prosecutors described the events as “elaborate and produced sex performances” that Combs allegedly arranged and coerced other people to participate in. They further claimed that Combs would involve women to participate with male sex workers and that they would last days with heavy drug use.
Combs allegedly recorded some of the sex performances with and without the knowledge of the people involved, prosecutors wrote in the indictment.
While the docuseries didn’t go into detail on Combs’ alleged “freak offs,” it included commentary from male sex worker Clayton Howard, who alleged that he participated in several “freak offs” with Combs’ then-girlfriend, Ventura.
Howard went into detail on his time with Combs and Ventura and alleged that he had sex with her while the rapper orchestrated their positioning and timing.
However, Howard did not elaborate on other alleged “freak offs” in which Ventura was not involved, and only spoke about the times when the three of them participated. The docuseries did not discuss any other “freak offs” Combs allegedly hosted without Ventura or with other people who have come forward alleging their participation.
Kim Porter’s death and the theories that surfaced as a result
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In the docuseries, several people discuss Combs’ complicated relationship with women and his on-again, off-again relationship with Kim Porter. The former couple dated from the mid-’90s to 2007 and parented four children together before he began dating Ventura later that year.
While interview subjects in the documentary claimed that Porter disliked that Combs allegedly began seeing Ventura while he was still with her, it did not share information on her tragic death. Porter died on Nov. 15, 2018, when she was 47 years old.
Porter’s death shocked Hollywood, as she died suddenly from mysterious symptoms before her cause of death was listed as lobar pneumonia. In addition to the docuseries leaving out Porter’s death, it also didn’t share the many conspiracy theories that alleged Combs was involved in her death.
In the midst of his 2024 arrest, their kids issued a statement slamming the “hurtful and false rumors” circulating about Porter and Combs.
“We have seen so many hurtful and false rumors circulating about our parents, Kim Porter and Sean Combs’ relationship, as well as about our mom’s tragic passing, that we feel the need to speak out,” they wrote in an Instagram statement at the time.
The siblings added, “While it has been incredibly difficult to reconcile how she could be taken from us too soon, the cause of her death has long been established. There was no foul play. Grief is a lifelong process, and we ask that everyone respect our request for peace as we continue to cope with her loss every day.”
Diddy’s annual white parties and who attended
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Although the docuseries examined how Combs started as a party promoter and spent plenty of time and money on parties throughout his success as a music mogul, it did not go into detail on his star-studded white parties.
When Combs was at the peak of his fame, he started hosting white parties from around 1998 to 2009. The parties often took place over the summer at his home in the Hamptons, and attendees were strictly encouraged to wear all-white clothing, per The New York Times.
Each year, the parties grew bigger with more singers, actors, athletes, businessmen and more. Some of these celebrities included Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Donald Trump, among others.
His final party was held in 2009 in Beverly Hills, Calif., and featured stilt walkers, models and swimming pool swings, per the publication. After Combs’ 2024 arrest, his representatives denied that there was any wrongdoing at his white parties.
“It’s disappointing to see the media and social commentators twist these cultural moments into something they were not,” the statement read at the time. “Shaming celebrities who attended, taking video clips and photos out of context, and trying to link these events to false allegations is simply untrue.”
Cassie’s shocking testimony during his trial
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In May 2025, Ventura testified during Combs’ trial and spoke about their allegedly abusive relationship and her participation in alleged “freak offs.”
During her emotional testimony, she claimed that she didn’t feel like she could say “no.” She further alleged that he recorded her as “blackmail” and added that she took drugs to dissociate and stay awake for the hours the “freak offs” took place.
“I would take [pills] all the time. If we ran out, we would call friends, drug dealers,” she said. “For me it was dissociative and numbing. I can’t imagine doing any of it without a buffer — it was emotionless. I didn’t want to have sex with a stranger.”
Ventura was the prosecution’s star witness, and she testified for four days. Although her testimony was not recorded for the public, much of what she said was written and shared.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning covered Combs’ trial and his charges, but it did not share Ventura’s testimony or how it impacted the jury. The singer also did not participate in the docuseries.
Diddy’s life after his 2025 trial and his current status as a prisoner
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After exploring Combs’ trial, the documentary featured two members of the jury explaining their decision to acquit Combs of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges and convict him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
It also added a few lines of text explaining how Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison — which included a year of time already served — and a $500,000 fine.
At the time the docuseries premiered on Dec. 2, Combs was in the midst of serving his sentence at FCI Fort Dix on a military base in New Jersey. He had previously been behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn before he was transferred in October.
While the docuseries strayed away from sharing an update on Combs’ life as a prisoner, PEOPLE previously learned what the holidays look like for him at Fort Dix. Combs ate turkey, vegetables and deli meat for Thanksgiving, while he’s expected to have baked Cornish hen for Christmas.
Diddy’s two-decade-long feud with the documentary’s executive producer, 50 Cent
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Curtis Jackson III, who goes by the stage name 50 Cent, worked as an executive producer on Sean Combs: The Reckoning amid his years-long feud with Combs. The docuseries included the rapper in the credits of every episode but did not disclose his relationship with Combs.
Combs and 50 Cent’s rivalry began in 2006 after the latter released a diss track accusing Combs of being involved in Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 murder (Combs has denied the accusation). The two silently feuded for years before it reached a climax after Combs’ homes were raided in March 2024.
Shortly after, 50 Cent was vocal about Combs’ alleged illegal activities and slammed him several times on social media. In October 2024, 50 Cent defended his actions and said he’d been doing it for years.
“Look, it seems like I’m doing some extremely outrageous things, but I haven’t. It’s really me just saying what I’ve been saying for 10 years,” he told PEOPLE. “Now it’s becoming more full-facing in the news with the Puffy stuff, but away from that, I’m like, ‘Yo, it’s just my perspective because I stayed away from that stuff the entire time, because this is not my style.’ ”
Ahead of the docuseries airing, Combs’ team called the series a “shameful hit piece” and accused them of using “stolen footage that was never authorized for release.” Netflix later responded by calling Combs’ comments “false.”
“The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained,” a representative for the streamer told Variety at the time. “This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.”
