A spokesperson for Sean “Diddy” Combs has slammed 50 Cent’s Netflix documentary series “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” which will be available worldwide on the streamer on December 2, as a “disgraceful hit” and accused Netflix of using “stolen footage that is not authorized for release.”
When asked for comment on the alleged stolen footage, a Netflix representative directed Variety to quote documentary series director Alexandria Stapleton. “It came to us. We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” she said. “We have moved heaven and earth to keep this filmmaker’s identity secret. One of the characteristics of Sean Combs is that he is always filming himself, and that has been an obsession for decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team multiple times for interviews and comment, but did not receive a response.”
A representative for Combs issued a statement on Monday, the day before the premiere of “The Reckoning,” after Netflix released a new teaser for the documentary series. In it, Combs was seen having a phone conversation six days before his arrest in 2024, and was ultimately found guilty of transportation for the purpose of prostitution, but acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and extortion charges. “We need to find people who have worked in the dirtiest businesses to work with us,” Combs said in the video. “We’re losing.”
A representative for Combs said Combs “has been collecting footage since he was 19 years old to tell his story in a unique way,” but that Netflix was using his words out of context. The statement also mentioned Ted Sarandos by name multiple times, saying Combs had “long respected” the Netflix CEO and “expected fairness from the people he respects.” Additionally, the agent wrote that 50 Cent was a “long-time adversary who spent far too much time slandering Mr. Combs and harbored personal vendettas,” and that it was “surprising that Netflix would hand over creative control to him.”
Read the full statement below.
Netflix’s so-called “documentary” is an embarrassing hit. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix is relying on stolen footage that it is not authorized to release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Combs has been collecting footage since he was 19 years old to tell his story in a unique way. Netflix’s exploitation of its work is fundamentally unfair and illegal.
It’s clear that Netflix is hell-bent on sensationalizing every moment of Mr. Combs’ life, ignoring the truth, in order to capitalize on the never-ending media frenzy. If Netflix cared about the truth and Mr. Combs’ legal rights, it wouldn’t cut private footage out of context, including conversations with his lawyer that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material are transferred to Netflix or any third party.
It’s equally surprising that Netflix has ceded creative control to Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, a longtime adversary who has a personal vendetta and has spent far too much time slandering Mr. Combs.
Beyond the legal issues, this is a personal breach of trust. Mr. Combs has long admired Ted Sarandos and praised the work of Clarence Avant. For Netflix to tell his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal insult. At the very least, he expected fairness from those he respected.
