Sean “Diddy” Combs has apologized for the horrific video that surfaced this weekend of him physically assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie, but in the minds of many, it’s too little too late.
On Friday afternoon, CNN released graphic footage from March 2016 that showed Combs assaulting Cassie at a hotel. The singer left the hotel room, and Combs chased after her with a towel around his waist as she approached the elevator. He violently throws her to the ground, kicks her, and drags her back into the hallway.
Combs posted an Instagram video on Sunday morning, stating that he takes “full responsibility for my actions in that video” and that he was “disgusted” with himself.
“I was fucked up. I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses,” he said. “... I’ve been going to therapy, and going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
The video mirrored an account that Cassie shared in her explosive lawsuit in November 2023, stating that she had tried to escape the hotel while he was asleep after he drunkenly punched her in the face and gave her a black eye. Combs, according to the lawsuit, paid the hotel $50,000 for the security footage. A day after the lawsuit was issued, Combs settled with Cassie out of court.
On social media, people are unmoved by Combs’ apology — especially since as recently as December 2023, he released a statement that insisted he “did not do any of the things awful things being alleged.”
User @_KimChanel_ stated that his apology came across as “disingenuous” after his previous denial. “These are things manipulators do and say tho,” she concluded. @keatingssixth also called out Combs. “Diddy talkin bout ‘reflecting’ on the ‘darkest times of his life,’” she wrote, “meanwhile the darkest times lasted decades. SHUT UP!!”
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu tweeted that Combs deserves to be in prison for his actions. “Forgiveness is not substitute for Accountability. Any apology should be to Cassie & every woman Sean Combs violently abused & assaulted,” he wrote. “...This apology stinks of appeasing the public not the women he hurt. It’s bullshit.”
There are also a small crowd offering forgiveness for his apology.
“Nobody is perfect. Only God can judge us,” @cleanamogul posted. “Stay blessed my brother @Diddy.”
“Maybe Diddy apology is sincere,” pondered @ItsAllForeign1 . “Only God knows. I hope he apologized to Cassie.”
The public square’s conclusion seems to be loud and clear, and his business partners have cut ties. But there’s no word yet on if Combs will see any legal repercussions to his actions.