Sean “Diddy” Combs broke his silence after video footage showed him physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a California hotel in 2016.
Combs posted an Instagram video on Sunday, writing in the caption, “I’m truly sorry.”
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said. “I was fucked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses.”
Combs called his behavior in the video “inexcusable.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he said.
Combs said he began therapy and rehab following the events of that video.
“I’m committed to be a better man each and every day,” he added.
Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Combs’ statement comes after CNN published video footage from March 2016 that showed him physically assaulting Ventura at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. The footage appeared to match an incident Ventura described in a 2023 lawsuit against Combs. The lawsuit said Combs got intoxicated before punching Ventura and giving her a black eye.
The footage, compiled from several camera angles, shows Ventura leaving a hotel room and approaching a set of elevators.
Combs, dressed with only a towel around his waist, then exits the hotel room and runs toward Ventura, whom he grabs by the neck and throws to the ground. The footage showed Combs shoving, dragging, kicking, and throwing an object toward Ventura.
Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, called the footage “gut-wrenching” in a statement to CNN.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” Wigdor said.
Representatives for Combs declined to comment on the video footage at the time, CNN reported.
Ventura’s lawsuit against Combs accused him of rape and abuse during their decadelong relationship. Combs denied the allegations at the time.
The two reached a settlement just one day after the lawsuit was filed, according to The New York Times.
Although Ventura and Combs’ legal battle was cut short, he’s still embroiled in other legal troubles after several other women accused him of sexual misconduct.
The fallout has begun to affect Combs’ business ventures, which span a range of industries. Revolt, a cable TV network, announced on Instagram that Combs would step down as a chairman.
According to Rolling Stone, more than 20 brands cut ties with Combs’ marketplace for Black-owned businesses, Empower Global, following the accusations. The outlet also reported that Hulu canceled a planned reality TV show based on his family called “Diddy+7.”
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