Sean “Diddy” Combs has deleted every post from his Instagram account, including the apology video he posted after footage surfaced of him attacking his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in 2016.
The embattled music mogul, 54, has in recent months faced numerous accusations of sexual abuse, as well as a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led to raids of his mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
TMZ reports that sources close to Combs say he spontaneously decided to wipe all of his posts, and it was not a premeditated decision taken by him and his management team.
They also claim that his decision to delete the apology video should not be taken as an attempt to walk back that statement, and it was only removed as part of the wider scrubbing of his social media account.
Combs’ behaviour has been under heightened scrutiny since the 2016 footage emerged in May. That month, CNN aired a security video of Combs attacking Cassie in a hotel hallway in Los Angeles. Captured from multiple angles, the video shows Combs in a towel chasing Ventura down the hallway, before attacking her near the elevators. He then attempts to drag her back down the corridor.
After pushing Ventura to the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks her again as she lies on the floor.
Combs said in the now-deleted Instagram video that he was “truly sorry” for the attack on Cassie and called his actions “inexcusable.”
The 37-year-old “Long Way 2 Go” singer sued Combs last year. That case was settled a day after it was filed.
Last week, Combs returned his key to New York City at the request of Mayor Eric Adams.
The mayor’s office said on Saturday (June 15) that Combs returned the key after Adams sent letters to the rapper and record producer’s offices in New York and California on June 4.
In his letter, Adams wrote he was “deeply disturbed” by the attack, adding: “I strongly condemn these actions and stand in solidarity with all survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.”
Earlier this month, Howard University, too, rescinded an honorary degree awarded to Combs and ended a scholarship program in his name following the release of the video involving Cassie.
Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, is one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives in the last three decades, turning musical success into a business empire.
