Yahoo News John Legend Says He’s “Horrified” by Sean “Diddy” Combs Abuse Allegations, Cassie Video: “Believe Women”
John Legend is addressing the sexual assault and abuse allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, with whom he collaborated on a song last year.
In an interview with CNN, the “All of Me” singer noted he was “horrified” by the several allegations that had come out about Combs even before the news outlet released a video of the music producer physically assaulting former girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
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“I was horrified by the descriptions that I read before the video evidence came out,” Legend said of the allegations made against Combs by Ventura and several other women. “And absolutely, it’s something that needs to be brought to light when it happens.”
The video, obtained by CNN, sees the music producer run out of a hotel room in a towel as a woman, who appears to be Ventura, heads for the elevators. Combs then grabs her by the back of the neck, throws her on the floor and proceeds to kick her multiple times, despite her not moving.
“My default stance is to believe women when they make these accusations and to make sure that we do whatever we can to support women [making them],” Legend said, adding that he hopes “they’re heard and that any kind of accountability and reparations can be made to make these women whole again.”
He told the news outlet that what Combs has been accused of is “shameful,” and he wants “the best” for Ventura and “all the other victims that have alleged that he’s abused them.” He concluded, “It’s quite a shame. I really just want accountability and hopefully some healing for all of his victims.”
Legend and Babyface collaborated with Combs on his song, “Kim Porter,” named after the music producer’s former partner, with whom he shares three children and who died of pneumonia in 2018. The track was featured on Combs’ 2023 album, The Love Album: Off the Grid.
Ventura filed a civil suit against Combs in November, accusing him of repeatedly raping and physically abusing her for nearly a decade throughout their on-again, off-again relationship. She noted in the suit that she was “trapped by Mr. Combs in a cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking.”
They settled the suit shortly after, with Combs’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, saying at the time that settling was in “no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
Since then, Combs has faced multiple lawsuits, accusing him of rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking. He has denied all of the allegations.
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