Is Sean Combs suing 50 Cent? Update after The Reckoning lands on Netflix

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The new Netflix documentary, ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’ – which details Diddy’s career and controversies, created by 50 Cent – is now available. Before it launched, Diddy reportedly attempted to delay its release, claiming it was unfairly negative.

Sean “Diddy” Combs faced a major crisis starting in late 2023 when he reached a settlement in a sexual assault case filed by Cassie Ventura. Soon after, several other people came forward with similar accusations of sexual assault and abuse, going back to the 1990s and 2000s. These growing claims led to widespread public attention and investigations by federal authorities.

In March 2024, Homeland Security raided multiple locations connected to him. Later that year, he faced charges of facilitating prostitution, racketeering, and federal sex trafficking. He maintained his innocence, but was repeatedly denied bail. Ultimately, in 2025, he was found guilty of transporting someone for prostitution and received a 50-month prison sentence.

For years, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) has publicly criticized Diddy. He announced last May that a documentary series exposing details about Diddy’s life had been greenlit by Netflix, and now that series is about to be released – much to Diddy’s dismay.

Is Sean Combs suing 50 Cent?

Despite reports, Diddy is not currently suing 50 Cent. However, Diddy’s lawyers have sent Netflix a letter demanding they stop the release of the documentary The Reckoning. The letter warns that they will take legal action if they believe Diddy’s rights are being violated.

A cease-and-desist letter is a formal notice from a lawyer, telling someone to stop doing something – in this situation, releasing the true crime documentary. It’s not a lawsuit itself, but it’s a warning that one could be filed if the request isn’t followed.

A representative for Combs told CNN that the streaming service used footage without permission and called the program a damaging and unfair attack.

The controversial video appears in both the new documentary series and its trailer. It was filmed in September 2024 at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan while he was waiting to be arrested on sex trafficking charges.

In September 2024, Sean Combs allowed a videographer to document his activities in New York City. This happened while he was being investigated by federal authorities. The filmmakers received this footage after Combs was arrested.

In a short video, he’s shown on a phone call, discussing a plan with his sons Justin and Christian Combs nearby.

According to Combs’ representative, Juda Engelmayer, the footage featured in ‘The Reckoning’ was originally part of years of self-documentation the rapper undertook to create his own personal documentary about his life, as reported by CNN.

Sean had been working on his documentary since he was 19, and this footage was originally created for that project,” explained Engelmayer. “Unfortunately, neither Netflix nor Mr. Jackson provided us with a preview copy.

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Netflix directed inquiries to a statement from the director of The Reckoning, Alexandra Stapleton, who confirmed the footage was obtained legally. She stated, “It came to us, and we have the necessary rights to use it.”

We went to great lengths to protect the filmmaker’s privacy. Sean Combs has a long-standing habit of documenting his life on camera, and he’s been doing it for years.

We repeatedly contacted Sean Combs’ lawyers, hoping to get an interview and a statement, but they never responded.

Diddy accuses Netflix of ‘sensationalizing’ case 

Even after receiving a legal warning, the documentary The Reckoning is now streaming on Netflix. However, Sean Combs’ legal team has stated they are still considering further lawsuits.

According to his lawyer, Sean Combs believes Netflix is intentionally exaggerating details of his life to create a media spectacle and profit from the attention.

Netflix is acting inappropriately by using private footage—even confidential conversations with Mr. Combs’s attorneys—without permission. This footage was never meant for public release, and Mr. Combs never gave Netflix or anyone else the rights to use it.

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It’s also surprising that Netflix gave creative control to Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, who has a long-standing conflict and has repeatedly made negative public statements about Sean Combs.

According to CNN, the legal notice makes it clear that Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, is prepared to sue Netflix if they don’t stop what he considers a violation of his rights. The letter points out that he has previously taken legal action against others who have done the same.

He has a history of suing media companies, demonstrated by a past $100 million defamation lawsuit he brought against NBCUniversal over a different documentary about him, titled ‘Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.’

50 Cent ‘surprised’ by Combs footage

50 Cent hasn’t stopped teasing Sean “Diddy” Combs online. He even posted about the legal notices Combs sent him, joking on Instagram that Netflix might be overwhelmed with viewers when a new show related to the situation airs at midnight Eastern Time, and encouraging people to tune in.

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Before that, he shared a funny video with a caption saying, “This is the message Jay-Z sent me when he found out he wasn’t included in the Diddy documentary.” He also posted a picture of Juda Engelmayer, the PR person who handled Harvey Weinstein’s crisis communications.

Alongside the picture, he explained that Puffy was using crisis PR and speaking negatively about him, even calling him an enemy. He added that he simply didn’t want to attend Puffy’s parties, and jokingly used the abbreviation ‘LOL’.

On December 1st, 50 Cent appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the video and share his honest reaction to the situation.

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In a recorded conversation, Combs stated he was ending the call and asking experts to assess the situation before he’d seek a resolution.

It doesn’t matter what others are saying; the real problem is we aren’t collaborating effectively, and as a result, we’re failing.

Following this, 50 Cent said, “I think it was surprising that he actually filmed it.” 

Stapleton noted it was fascinating to see someone so skilled at building a public image and marketing carefully consider how he presented himself to the world.

In another video, Combs is seen greeting fans in Harlem. Afterwards, he told his team he needed hand sanitizer and a bath.

One viewer commented that the clip reveals the person’s true character, noting it felt like a candid moment where they weren’t aware the camera was rolling.

The rapper addressed criticism that his album, The Reckoning, focused more on his personal issues with Diddy than on supporting those who had accused him of wrongdoing.

He explained that what the other person sees as a long-standing problem – going back 20 years – is simply his discomfort with being asked out on dates, specifically when the person offers to take him shopping. He felt it was a way of testing the waters, a casual invitation to see if he’d be interested in something more, and wasn’t meant to be taken personally.

Stapleton explained they weren’t focused on sensationalism or just the scandalous parts of the story. Their main aim was to tell a complete story, and they didn’t require everyone involved to have been directly accused of wrongdoing to be included.

The four-episode series includes interviews with two jurors from the Combs trial, who are publicly sharing for the first time how they arrived at their decision. They found Combs guilty on two counts related to prostitution, but acquitted him of more serious charges like racketeering and sex trafficking.

You can now watch “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” on Netflix. If you’re interested in more true crime stories, you might also want to find out what happened with Tyria Moore, learn about the unsolved case of the Monster of Florence, or see how to watch the free TMZ documentary about Diddy.

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2025-12-02 18:21