Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial: Timeline of the rise and fall of the music mogul
For more than two decades, Sean "Diddy" Combs was one of hip-hop's most opportunistic entrepreneurs, spinning his hitmaking talents into a broad business empire that included a record label, a fashion brand, a TV network, deals with liquor companies and a key role in a reality TV show.
But U.S. prosecutors say behind the scenes, Combs was coercing and abusing women with assistance from a network of associates who helped silence victims through blackmail and violence.
Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations. Testimony in his trial began Monday.
Here is a timeline of major events in his rise and fall:
1990 - 1999
1990
:
Combs, then a student at Howard University, gets his start in the music business with an internship at Uptown Records in New York.
Dec. 28, 1991:
Nine people die at a celebrity basketball game promoted by Combs and the rapper Heavy D when thousands of fans try to get into a gym at the City College of New York. A mayoral report lays part of the blame for the catastrophe on poor planning by Combs.
1992:
Combs is one of the executive producers on "What's the 411?," the debut album by Mary J. Blige.
1993:
After being fired by Uptown, Combs establishes his own label, Bad Boy, which quickly cuts a lucrative deal with Arista Records.
1994:
Bad Boy releases Notorious B.I.G.'s album "Ready to Die." Two months later,
Tupac Shakur
survives a shooting in New York and accuses Combs and
Biggie
of having prior knowledge of the attack, which they deny. Shakur was later killed in a 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (Official Audio)
1996:
Combs is convicted of criminal mischief after he allegedly threatened a photographer with a gun.
1997:
Biggie is killed in Los Angeles. Combs, then known as
Puff Daddy
, releases "I'll be Missing You" in honor of his slain star.
Puff Daddy [feat. Faith Evans & 112] - I'll Be Missing You (Official Music Video)
1998:
Combs wins two Grammys, one for best ralbum for his debut "No Way Out" and another for best rap performance by a duo or group for "I'll Be Missing You" with Faith Evans. Also that year, Combs' Sean John fashion line is founded.
April 16, 1999:
Combs and his bodyguards are charged with attacking Interscope Records music executive
Steve Stoute
in his New York office in a dispute over a music video. Combs is sentenced to an anger management course.
Dec. 27, 1999:
Combs is arrested on gun possession charges after he and his girlfriend at the time,
Jennifer Lopez
, fled a shooting that wounded three people at a New York City nightclub. Some witnesses tell police Combs was among the people shooting in the club. He is later charged with offering his driver $50,000 to claim ownership of the 9 mm handgun found in his car.
2001 - 2008
March 17, 2001:
Combs is acquitted of all charges related to the nightclub shooting. One of his rap proteges, Jamal "Shyne" Barrows, is convicted in the shooting and serves nearly nine years in prison. Two weeks after the trial, Combs announces he wants to be known as P. Diddy.
2002:
Combs becomes the producer and star of "Making the Band," a talent search TV show.
Feb. 1, 2004:
Combs performs at the Super Bowl halftime show along with
Janet Jackson
, Justin Timberlake and others. A week later, Combs, Nelly and Murphy Lee win a Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for "Shake Ya Tailfeather."
April, 2004:
Combs makes his Broadway acting debut in "A Raisin in the Sun."
2005:
Combs announces he is changing his stage name to Diddy, getting rid of the P.
March, 2008:
Combs settles a lawsuit brought by a man who claims Combs punched him after a post-Oscar party outside a Hollywood hotel the previous year. In May, Combs is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2015 - 2022
2015
: Combs is arrested after a confrontation on the campus of UCLA, where one of his sons played football. Assault charges are later dropped.
2016:
Combs launches a Harlem charter school, the Capital Preparatory School. Also that year, he announces he is donating $1 million to Howard University.
2017:
Combs is named the top earner on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities, which says he brought in $130 million in a single year.
2018:
Kim Porter
, Combs' former girlfriend and the mother of three of his children, dies from pneumonia at age 47.
2022:
Combs receives a lifetime honor at the BET Awards.
2023 - 2025
Sept. 15, 2023:
Combs releases "The Love Album - Off the Grid," his first solo studio project since 2006's chart-topping "Press Play."
Nov. 16, 2023:
R&B singer Cassie sues Combs, alleging he subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape. A day later, the lawsuit is settled under undisclosed terms. Combs, through his attorney, denies the accusations.
Nov. 23, 2023:
Two more women accuse Combs of sexual abuse in lawsuits. Combs' attorneys call the allegations false. Dozens of additional lawsuits follow by women and men who accuse Combs of rape, sexual assault and other attacks. Plaintiffs include singer
Dawn Richard
, a "Making the Band" contestant who alleged years of psychological and physical abuse. Combs denies all the allegations.
March 25, 2024:
Federal agents search Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida.
May 17, 2024:
CNN airs video that shows Combs attacking and beating Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Two days later, Combs posts videos on social media apologizing for the assault.
Sept. 16, 2024:
Combs is arrested at his Manhattan hotel. A sex trafficking and racketeering indictment unsealed the next day accuses him of using his business empire to coerce women into participating in sexual performances. Combs denies the allegations. His attorney calls it an unjust prosecution of an "imperfect person."
May 5, 2025:
Jury selection began for Combs' trial.
May 12, 2025:
A jury is selected and testimony begins in Combs' trial.
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