Cuba Gooding Jr. has broken his silence on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing legal battle and his alleged involvement.
“That’s the craziest thing I ever heard,” Gooding, 56, said during an appearance on the “PBD Podcast” on Wednesday, May 8, specifically referring to Diddy’s homes being raided by Homeland Security. “How ‘bout me? I wake up in the morning, I turn on the Today show [and hear], ‘Hector, Cuba Gooding Jr.’ I was like, ‘Excuse me, pull me into this?’”
Diddy, 54, was first accused of misconduct and sexual assault by ex-girlfriend Cassie (full name Casandra Ventura) in November 2023. They settled her lawsuit within one day as Diddy continually denied the allegations.
Amid the lawsuit, multiple other individuals came forward with similar stories of alleged misconduct by Diddy. Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones sued Diddy for $30 million in damages in February, claiming the music mogul drugged, threatened and sexually assaulted him for more than a year.
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Diddy fervently denied the claims through his attorney.
“Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit, shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday,” Diddy’s lawyer Shawn Holley told Us Weekly in a statement. “His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.”
Jones later amended his complaint in March, adding Gooding as a defendant. According to Jones, Diddy had allegedly tried to “pass off” the producer to Gooding. Jones further claimed that Diddy “failed to step in” and stop Gooding from forcibly touching Jones.
Gooding did not immediately address the claims.
“My lawyers said, you know, ‘Every outlet in the world wants to talk with you.’ I’m not, like, defining myself from headlines in the press,” the actor said on Wednesday. “So I stayed quiet.”
According to Gooding, he first met Diddy in 2019 through his girlfriend, Claudine DeMatos, who previously handled publicity for Diddy’s notorious White Party, while they attended a 300-person New Year’s Eve bash on the rapper’s yacht. Gooding denied being alone with Jones on the boat, claiming that there was a crowd of people around the pair when Jones played Gooding a sample of Diddy’s new song.
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“[Lil Rod] is going after the money man, I’m sure,” Gooding claimed, asserting that he is only a casual acquaintance of Diddy. “I don’t know P. Diddy’s life. I don’t know what he’s going through. I don’t know what the police are going to find.”
Amid the legal drama, Homeland Security raided two of Diddy’s homes in March in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation. Diddy was not on the premises at the time nor has he been arrested or charged with a crime. His lawyer, meanwhile, denounced the allegations.
“There was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” Diddy’s attorney Aaron Dyer told Us in a statement. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
Gooding, who asserted he has only met Diddy twice, added on Wednesday that “only time will tell” exactly who was involved in the alleged situations.
“I think whatever he’s dealing with, he’s on his journey, man,” Gooding said. “I think that God has gotten him on a path. I can’t imagine that he’s stupid enough to do whatever he’s doing and keep it on his premises.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
