Sean “Diddy” Combs has been in the news recently because of his September 2024 arrest, but his first brush with scandal happened more than 30 years ago.
The new Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy delves into the controversy surrounding a December 28, 1991, event promoted by a young Diddy, who was then working at the label Uptown Records. To supplement his income, he promoted parties, and at one point, he and rapper Heavy D collaborated on a charity basketball game that was to be hosted at New York City’s City College.
“Not only was it filled inside, there [were] probably just as many people outside that couldn’t get inside,” Tim Patterson, a childhood friend of Diddy’s, recalled in the film, which premieres Tuesday, January 14.
Sonny Williams, whose sister Sonya was killed at the event, claimed that local radio stations promoted the game as if it were being held at a 10,000-seat arena. (The college’s gymnasium held only 2,730.)
The situation soon turned deadly, with thousands more people trying to enter than the venue could hold. Nine attendees were killed, and 29 more were injured.
In the documentary, Diddy’s childhood friend Lee Davis (a.k.a. DJ EZ Lee) claimed that he saw the future mogul “running around trying to save people” who were in harm’s way. “I saw him trying to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to people.”
Gene Deal, who worked as Diddy’s bodyguard from 1991 to 2005, remembered things differently. “I never saw Sean Combs give anyone CPR,” he alleged. “If anybody tells you that, they’re telling a flat-out lie.”
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No criminal charges were filed, but a lawsuit later determined that Diddy and Heavy D were 50 percent responsible for the deaths, while the college was responsible for the other half.
“All families settled and were given a settlement amount,” said Jason Swain, whose brother Dirk died in the stampede. “We got $40,000 from Sean Combs directly. But he never owned up to it, never just said, ‘I apologize.’ There’s a clip of him saying that it wasn’t overbooked. … That’s a blatant lie. His image is important for him. The lies go back to City College. Had someone found him accountable, it may have just slowed down the process of all the other things that happened to other people.”
Sonny, meanwhile, recalled accepting $50,000 from Diddy, now 55, after initially hesitating because he felt the amount was too low.
“He calls me to the BMG building. It’s just me and him in the office, and he seemed very nervous. He seemed so nervous that his lips turned white,” Sonny claimed. “And he says, ‘Sonny, I wanna offer you $50,000.’ I remember looking around the office and I’m seeing all these plaques now on the wall — platinum plaques, gold plaques. I said, ‘Brother, you got all this going on and you offering me $50,000?’ He said, ‘Sonny, man, listen, man, that’s real generous — that’s a generous donation,’ and I lost it.”
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Sonny felt like the exchange was a slap in the face, especially because he believed Diddy and Sonya were friends. After one last conversation, Sonny “reluctantly” accepted the $50,000 payment.
“I don’t wanna talk money. I want you to help me do something in their memory,” he told the camera. “I said, ‘But is Sonya your friend?’ He wouldn’t answer me.”
While the stampede was a headline-making tragedy, Patterson believes that it actually helped make Diddy more of a household name.
“This thing somehow or another made him the most famous guy around,” he explained. “Puffy became more known. It almost made him in a real weird way.”
Diddy did not participate in the documentary, but at the time of the incident, he claimed in court that City College was responsible for security at the event. “I am sorry for being the promoter of the event,” he said. “I just pray for the families and pray for the children who lost their lives every day. It’s a tragic event, and my heart goes out to the families.”
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Diddy is currently in jail awaiting trial after his arrest last year on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In a statement to Us Weekly, his rep slammed the new film, saying, “This documentary recycles and perpetuates the same lies and conspiracy theories that have been slung against Mr. Combs for months. It is disappointing to see NBC and Peacock rolling in the same mud as unethical tabloid reporters. By providing a platform for proven liars and opportunists to make false criminal accusations, the documentary is irresponsible journalism of the worst kind.”
Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy premieres on Peacock Tuesday, January 14.
