Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, is one of the most recognizable names in hip-hop. Over the course of years, he managed to build a star-studded network spanning the music, film, fashion, and business worlds. For many decades, a coveted invitation to his famously lavish parties looked like the golden ticket into the upper echelons of Hollywood.
Whether we are talking about an opulent birthday bash, a famous record label get-together, or simply one of his infamous White Parties, everything he did was first-class. The free-flowing champagne was always the finest.
Everyone came in designer clothes. You could cross paths with the biggest names in Hollywood, from Ashton Kutcher to Jay Z. As featuring on the mentioned guest list used to be no less than a badge of honor, after the disgraced music mogul’s September 16 arrest for racketeering and sex trafficking, all the hype around everything I mentioned turned sour, to say the least.
Ever since, the internet has taken a much closer look at the A-list faces spotted at the rapper and record executive, focusing especially on his “freak off” parties, which were a hotbed for exploitation and verbal, emotional, and physical abuse.
Only recently, Jay Z (his real name is Shawn Carter) was accused in a civil suit of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Combs at a party back in 2000. The accuser claimed that she was drugged and assaulted by Carter and Combs at a party right after the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), while an “unnamed female celebrity” was in the room at the time. Jay Z instantly dismissed these claims as blackmail.
In another statement posted to social media, Jay Z wrote: “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee.” What he calculated was the nature of such allegations and the public scrutiny it would cause that would make me want to settle.
No sir, it had the opposite effect.” Now, everyone is wondering who are the names in Diddy’s guestbook, so let’s see, shall we?
Mary J. Blige and Usher
As a rapper, producer, and also record label head, it’s quite unsurprising that Diddy always rubbed shoulders with the most well-established names in the music industry in his free time. However, he was also a mentor to industry newcomers, taking care of the early careers of some of R&B and rap music’s heavy-hitters in the 90s, such as The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.
The disgraced mogul also produced the wide majority of Blige’s 1992 debut album and has also been extensively seen with her over the decades. Despite going to a release party for Combs’ last album last September, fans have speculated that an Instagram post by Blige, in which she said that she “burns bridges if needed” is about her relationship with Diddy.
Aaliyah and Justin Bieber
In a series of resurfaced images, the late R&B singer Aaliyah was seen in a bed alongside Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and record executive Damon Dash at Combs’ 2000 Fourth of July celebration, at only 19 years old. Dash responded to those images online: “I didn’t go to those parties…I went to one about 20 years ago in the Hamptons with Aaliyah but that’s it. So many people were at those things, you know?”
When Aaliyah died in a plane crash only a year later, Combs was a guest at her funeral. Another name that caught the attention in Combs’s case was Justin Bieber. It’s widely known that the rap mogul took the young Bieber under his wing at the start of his career in the ’00s, but the relationship faced a lot of public scrutiny since the claims appeared.
Jay Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Mariah Carey
Another list of names that attended the music industry events with Diddy in the 00s includes Jay Z, Beyonce, Pharrell, and Kanye West, as well as Cardi B and Post Malone. Jay Z who had his own Vanity Fair portrait taken with Diddy at the event, can be seen in an image from Combs’ Fourth of July party in 2000.
Mariah Carey has been snapped with the billionaire at many events in the past, including his 35th birthday event in 2004, as well as his 2007 White Party, while Drake was seen with Kelly Rowland and The Weeknd at a 2014 New Year’s Eve party thrown by Diddy in Florida, where the host decided to change into silk pajamas during the night.
All these stars have remained radio silent in the midst of Combs’ September arrest until now, when Jay Z disputed the rape allegations brought forward by Texas-based lawyer, Tony Buzbee. The Brooklyn-born rapper is also accused in a civil suit of raping a 13-year-old girl with Combs in 2000, right after the Video Music Awards (VMAs).
According to the legal action, the accuser still remembers attending Diddy’s afterparty and lying down in a room because she was given a drink that made her feel dizzy. As soon as she got in the room, she claimed that Combs and Carter joined her, raping her while an unnamed female celebrity watched.
Socialites, supermodels, and media personalities
As the ultimate it-girl of the 00s, it seems Paris Hilton never missed a Diddy party. Whether she appeared in pictures with Nicole Ritchie at his 35th birthday celebrations or simply danced the night away at his 2003 and 2006 White Parties.
At these parties, which were hosted in Saint Tropez, the heiress was seen alongside Kim Kardashian and Combs on a bed, images that raised many eyebrows since his arrest. But that wasn’t the only time Kim Kardashian was seen at a Combs party.
The media personality posed for photographers at his 50th with her sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, and back in 2015, with her mother Kris Jenner, and sister Kourt Kardashian.
Actors
Combs locked quite a surprising friendship with Ashton Kutcher in the early 00s, with Kutcher being the co-host of his 2009 White Party. The list of guests included names such as Chris Brown, Lil’ Kim, and Kutcher’s then-wife Demi Moore.
He even once told Sean Evans that he has many things he can’t tell, referring to Diddy’s parties. In one of his 2004 Miami parties, food was allegedly served on the chest of a naked woman. Well, isn’t that interesting?
Among attendees, Will Smith and Bruce Willis were some of the big-name guests. Kate Beckinsale also attended a 2022 event celebrating Combs BET’s lifetime achievement award win, but also his London birthday party that year, while Lindsay Lohan rubbed shoulders with Diddy numerous times.
A source very close to Leonardo DiCaprio denies the claims that say the actor had any kind of involvement with Diddy’s freak-offs after an image of DiCaprio resurfaced from the mogul’s inaugural White Party in 1998. “He has little to do with any of that world, so if anyone assumes that he will get roped into this, it’s just ridiculous.”
Sporting stars
LeBron James, one of the most well-known names in basketball, hasn’t been seen at a Diddy party. However, the sporting star made a comment back on a 2020 livestream with Combs that has recently raised suspicion: “Ain’t no party like a Diddy party.” Ermm, what do you mean, Mr. James?
If you found this article insightful, we also recommend checking: IT’S TIIIME! 10 Christmas Movies You Should Watch This Winter
