Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mother, Janice Smalls Combs, has rushed to his defense, insisting that the troubled music executive is not “the monster they have painted him to be.” As previously reported by HowAfrica, federal officials detained Diddy at a Manhattan hotel on Monday, September 16, and accused him with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The 54-year-old remains in custody after pleading not guilty. According to CBS News, Diddy’s mother has expressed her displeasure with what she considers to be a public lynching of her son before he can prove his innocence.
She also stated that her son “has made mistakes in his past” and brought up the video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. The rapper and recording executive first disputed Cassie’s allegations of rape and abuse. He later apologized on social media following the video’s dissemination.
“My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise,” Janice Smalls Combs said in the statement.
“Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.”
She also described people making fun of her son’s predicaments as “agonizing”, adding that his case was “over lies and misconceptions.” Janice Smalls Combs in her statement additionally urged fans and the public “to not judge him before you’ve had the chance to hear his side.”
“My son is not the monster they have painted him to be,” she continued. “I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated.”