The release of Netflix's controversial docuseries, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, has ignited fresh debate around the disgraced music mogul, featuring unprecedented interviews with jurors from his federal trial and harrowing new allegations from former associates.
Jurors Break Their Silence on Combs Trial
In one of the series' most revealing segments, two jurors from Combs's 2024 federal trial speak publicly for the first time. The jury, which delivered a split verdict, convicted Combs on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but found him not guilty of more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.
One juror, identified as Juror 160, described her reaction to the partial conviction: "When we were in the deliberation room and we've come to an agreement and we're only saying that he's guilty for these two counts, my words exactly were: 'Oh s-h-i-t.'" She stated that while the surveillance footage of Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, proved he "can be" a violent person, domestic violence was not among the charges.
The other juror, Juror 75, expressed confusion over the nature of Ventura and Combs's relationship, citing affectionate texts exchanged after the assault. "It's like going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth," he said, ultimately concluding that justice had been "100%" served.
A Cascade of Disturbing Allegations
The four-part series, produced by Combs's longtime rival Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, compiles testimony from a wide range of voices. Former Bad Boy Entertainment executive Capricorn Clark, who testified against Combs, claimed the jury appeared "starstruck" by the defendant during the trial.
Singer Aubrey O'Day, formerly of Combs's girl band Danity Kane, alleged he sent her sexually explicit emails and photos, leading her to believe she was fired for "not participating sexually." She also reacted to an affidavit from a separate civil case that described an alleged 2005 sexual assault, stating, "I don't even know if I was raped. And I don't want to know."
Perhaps the most explosive claim comes from Kirk Burrowes, co-founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, who suggests Combs was involved in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. "I think that Sean now in my mature mind had a lot to do with the death of Tupac," Burrowes alleges, adding that "a lot of bad things happened to good friends."
Legal Battles and a 'Dirty Business'
The documentary incorporates previously unseen footage of Combs from the days leading to his September 2024 arrest. In the clips, a desperate Combs is heard telling his lawyer, "We have to find somebody that will work with us, that has dealt in the dirtiest of dirty business of media and propaganda. We're losing."
Combs, who is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence at Fort Dix in New Jersey and appealing his conviction, has vehemently opposed the series. His lawyers condemned it as a "shameful hitpiece" built on a "one-sided narrative." Spokesperson Juda Engelmayer argued the project uses stolen, unauthorised footage and is driven by 50 Cent's personal vendetta.
Director Alexandria Stapleton defended the film, stating the footage was obtained legally and that Combs's team was repeatedly contacted for comment. She expressed hope the series serves as "a wake-up call for how we idolize people." The series lands as Combs still faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse, all of which he denies.
