Incarcerated Sean “Diddy” Combs has slammed rival company 50 Cent’s Netflix documentary series “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.”
“Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit,” a spokesperson for the “Act Bad” host, who is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence, told Variety in a statement.
“(Monday’s) ‘GMA’ teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that it was not authorized to release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been collecting footage since he was 19 years old to tell his story in a unique way,” the rep added.
“Netflix’s misappropriation of that work is fundamentally unfair and illegal.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Combs claimed that the streaming giant was “clearly desperate to sensationalize every moment of Mr. Combs’ life, disregarding the truth, in order to capitalize on the never-ending media frenzy.”
“If Netflix cared about the truth and Mr. Combs’ legal rights, it would not cut private footage out of context, including conversations with his attorney that were never intended for public release. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party,” the representative added.
“It is 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 smearing Mr. Combs.”
A spokesperson for Combs said 50’s deal with Netflix was a “personal betrayal” as the Bad Boy Records founder “has long admired” Sarandos.
“For someone who has publicly attacked him for decades, for Netflix to tell his life story feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal insult,” they added.
“At the very least, he expected fairness from those he respected,” Combs’ representative concluded.
The documentary’s director, Alexandria Stapleton, said in a statement to Variety that the footage “came to us” and that they “obtained it legally and have the necessary rights.”
“We moved heaven and earth to keep the identity of the filmmakers secret,” she added. “One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and he’s been obsessed with it for decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team multiple times for interviews and comment, but they never responded.”
Page Six reached out to representatives for both 50 and Netflix for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
On Monday, Netflix released the official trailer for the four-part documentary. This documentary depicts the complicated life of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted criminal.
The 56-second trailer begins with footage of the rapper being humiliated in a New York City hotel room, six days before his arrest in September 2024.
“We have to find someone who has worked on some of the dirtiest business to help us,” Combs said in what appeared to be a phone call with a lawyer.
Mr. Combs bounced his knees repeatedly and looked worried.
“We’re losing!” he added angrily.
In July, Combs was found not guilty on two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and racketeering conspiracy. However, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
Three months later, the “I Need a Girl” hitmaker was sentenced to 50 months in prison and transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York to Fort Dix, a federal correctional facility in New Jersey.
Combs is scheduled to be released in June 2028.
“Sean Combs: The Reckoning” is available to stream on Netflix.
