UPDATE: The original version of this story suggests that Bishop T.D. Jakes and Diddy collaborated on the video. Diddy allegedly used audio of an existing Jakes sermon without his consent.
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When a famous person finds themselves caught in a very public legal scandal, one of the first things they do is begin the steps to recovering their image. For Sean “Diddy” Combs, that’s easier said than done.
When his ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit in November 2023, alleging that the hip-hop mogul raped and physically abused her throughout their 11-year relationship, it opened the door for other alleged victims to file sexual harassment and sexual assault lawsuits against the rapper/producer.
In the aftermath of the allegations, Diddy has been dropped by several brands and has become a pariah among his famous friends. He is no longer seen as the charming life of the party entertainer he once was. Even though he still has multiple legal cases pending, the Bad Boy founder is starting the process of changing his current public persona as an alleged sexual predator.
On Monday, the “Coming Home” artist dropped an Instagram video that was presumably meant to show how he’s handling his current controversies with strength and perseverance. It featured all the “inspirational clip” cliches including: Diddy in the “arms wide open” pose on a beach at the edge of the water, an audio clip of Bishop T.D. Jakes from a 2022 sermon used as the voiceover.
“Not hysterical. Not frantic. Not anxious. Not fretful,” Jakes says. “But steady in the storm. Looks bad. Looks tough but remain steady in the storm.”
OK, let’s unpack this self-serving nonsense. First of all, Diddy should not be in image recovery mode. He’s extremely wealthy. If he stays quiet and doesn’t work for a while, he and his family will be fine. When the Department of Homeland Security raids two of your homes and the world finds out you’re allegedly being investigated for sex trafficking, you need to focus on your legal issues and keep a low profile.
If you read the comments on the video, he obviously still has supporters, but now is not the time for him to make himself the center of attention. The video comes off as another narcissistic, manipulative attempt by Diddy to avoid being seen as the bad guy.