Why is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs against the release of Sean Combs: The Reckoning? Explained

Sean "Diddy" Combs is the subject of Netflix's newest docuseries, Sean Combs: The Reckoning. The four hour-long episodes of the series by Emmy and Grammy-winning executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson arrived on the streaming platform on December 2. 

According to the series description from Netflix, it "unpacks the shocking allegations behind Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy empire, spanning decades of his life and career." However, Diddy, who is currently serving time in prison camp has taken issue with the project. He's against it because he believes Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a "shameful hit piece."

He further slammed Netflix about allegedly using "stolen footage" in the docuseries in a December 1 statement from his spokesperson. It further reads: 

"Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. 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." 

Diddy's statement via a spokesperson further alleges that the streaming giant is "plainly desperate to sensationalize" the music mogul's life and story without any regard for the truth. He further claims that Netflix is trying to capitalize on the media frenzy surrounding him. 

However, Sean Combs: The Reckoning Director Alexandria Stapleton answered with her own statement to Variety, saying that they obtained the footage legally and they have the necessary rights to it. She also said that they reached out to Diddy's legal team for an interview but they never received any reply.

Who is involved in Sean "Diddy" Combs' Netflix documentary, Sean Combs: The Reckoning?

The new Netflix documentary on Sean "Diddy" Combs features a mix of intimate footage that was shot with his knowledge in the six days before he was arrested in September 2024. According to director Alexandria Stapleton, per Netflix, those videos came to them and they have the legal rights to use the footage. 

But besides those videos, Sean Combs: The Reckoning also tells Diddy's story and the story surrounding his empire through the eyes of those formerly in his orbit. Some of them will share their their side of the story for the first time, like Kirk Burrowes, who co-founded Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment. Former Bad Boy executive and artists will also tell their stories, including executive Capricorn Clarke and artists Kalenna Harper and Mark Curry.

Several contestants and band members from Diddy's Making the Band will also give exclusive interviews in the docuseries. According to Netflix, the list includes Danity Kane member Aubrey O'Day and Da Band's Brooklyn Babs. Day 26 members Qwanell "Que" Mosley, Brian Andrews, Willie Taylor, and Robert Curry are also in it. 

There are also exclusive interviews from a former LADP detective, a former head of the NYPD rap intelligence unit, and jurors from the United States v. Combs trial. 

According to Stapleton, per Netflix, many people, including famous artists and celebrities, took part in the project. However, those were off-the-record conversations she had with them to verify and fact-check information because some of them didn't want to do an interview for the docuseries. She said that among their reasons for refusing to do an interview was "a lot of fear [that] Combs' tentacles spread very wide."

Watch Sean Combs: The Reckoning exclusively on Netflix.