Latest news with #PuffyFlavorCamp
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why has Usher, Steve Harvey been mentioned around Diddy's case?
(NewsNation) — Several celebrities have already testified in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial, including Kid Cudi on Thursday and Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura near the start of his trial. Other celebrities' names have been circulating online and on social media surrounding the trial, despite not having been in court. Those including Usher, Steve Harvey and Wendy Williams. But what connections do they have to Combs? Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane, testified that Usher had seen Combs punch Ventura 'hard' in 2010 at a restaurant in West Hollywood On May 19, Richard told the court, 'Mr. Combs punched Cassie in the stomach. They were having a private conversation, and he punched her in the stomach. She immediately leaned over and left.' Richard also claimed that Ne-Yo, record executive Jimmy Iovine and Big Daddy Kane were there as well. Richard then said that she and Ventura had been about to leave when another altercation took place between Combs and Ventura. 'We got in the car to head back to her house. Combs grabbed her, slapped her, popped her in the mouth and told her to shut the f–k up. Everyone was quiet the rest of the ride,' she told jurors. When Usher was 13 years old, Combs became his legal guardian, according to Newsweek. Usher has allegedly talked about being exposed to a lot at a young age when being with Combs. In 2004, he had told Rolling Stone that Combs had shown him 'a totally different set of s–t — sex, specifically.' Kid Cudi on the witness stand in Diddy trial Of Combs' home, Usher had said, 'There was always girls around. You'd open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen.' The Daily Mail reported that, in 2013, Usher spoke at his 35th birthday celebration about Combs, saying, 'I was introduced to everything by Puff Daddy when I was only 15. Parties, women, sex and drugs. I've had a taste of it, but I'd never let it take me over.' He also allegedly said that he would give anyone else the advice that Combs had given him. Diddy allegedly broke into Kid Cudi's Hollywood Hills home In 2016, during a Howard Stern interview, Usher talked about Combs' parties, which were reportedly nicknamed 'Puffy Flavor Camp.' He had said, 'There were very curious things taking place' at Combs' parties and said he would never send his kids to one of the parties. Usher has not said anything publicly about Combs' current trial. According to Grazia, Steve Harvey, who is the host of Family Feud, deleted a 2017 tweet that had shown support for Combs. Harvey allegedly deleted the tweet after Combs had been arrested, with the original tweet saying, 'My brother @Diddy is doing a world of good for these kids.' It's not clear what this was referencing, but Grazia reported that it could be the $1 million that Combs donated to Howard University in 2016. This donation created the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund, which helped students who couldn't pay tuition. However, in 2024, Combs' honorary doctorate was revoked by the university, and his $1 million donation was returned. University officials also terminated his pledge agreement. It had also been rumored in 2019 that Combs dated Harvey's stepdaughter, Lori. Grazia reported that the two, along with her father, were seen in Italy together. Rumors also linked Lori to Justin Combs, the son of Diddy, but she denied both rumors years later. Since the start of Combs' trial, users on social media have started sharing old clips of Wendy Williams. In those clips, she makes several claims against Combs, including that she was fired from a radio job because she said he was gay. Williams claimed she was fired from Hot 97 in 1998 after she said that she believed Combs was gay. Williams then reportedly said that she had a photo of Combs with another man. According to the Daily Mail, Gene Deal, Combs' former security guard, seemed to confirm what Williams said in 2022. Deal had told Vibe, '(Diddy) got one of the hottest DJs off Hot 97 because she wanted to put up a picture of him getting his pants pulled down.' Williams went on to host The Wendy Williams Show and continued sharing claims about Combs. In 2024, she told The Daily Mail, 'You know how I feel about that? It is about time. To see this video on TV of (Cassie) getting pummeled… it was just horrific.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Team Bieber rejects speculation about Justin and Diddy: Care about those 'genuinely harmed'
Amid all of Casandra Ventura's troubling testimony this week about life with Sean "Diddy" Combs and his "freak-off" fetish, don't be troubled thinking about what might have happened between Combs and Justin Bieber, who was launched into the mogul's circle when he was a teen. Despite persistent speculation as footage of the two together has surfaced, Team Bieber said Thursday that nothing happened. Move along, nothing to see here. Read more: 'Horrible and disgusting': Cassie's graphic testimony of abuse leaves Sean 'Diddy' Combs' fate hanging in balance The speculation comes at a time when Bieber has been worrying fans with photos showing him smoking — a shot posted Thursday had the self-declared former substance abuser sitting with a bong quite obviously in his lap — and "It's a cult" rumors about the church he has been attending, Churchome in Beverly Hills. (Churchome pastor Judah Smith denies those rumors, by the way.) Bieber's decision in recent years to sell his catalog for $200 million is said to have been motivated by the pop star allegedly finding himself completely broke despite generating many millions for himself and others while touring. The new dad's marriage is rumored to be in trouble as well, though on Friday the Biebs tagged wife Hailey in an Instagram story showing a male lion lovingly caressing a female lion with its nose and teeth. Combs, of course, is on trial on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and more. This week in court has seen dramatic testimony from Combs' former girlfriend Cassie. But back to Bieber, who was discovered by Scooter Braun in 2008 and quickly signed to a label run by Braun and Usher. Usher was a Combs protégé who was sent by record executive and producer L.A. Reid to live with the mogul in the '90s and maybe learn a few things. The "Yeah" singer was 15 when he moved to New York. Combs became Usher's legal guardian. Read more: Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie testifies at his trial about abuse and 'freak offs' Reid wrote in his 2016 tell-all memoir "Sing to Me," via Rolling Stone, "'Will you take this kid and teach him your swagger?' I said. 'Can you just give him some of your flavor?' And so I sent Usher to New York for what I called the 'Puffy Flavor Camp.'" He added, "I was turning him over to the wildest party guy in the country at an age when I still needed to get his mother's permission, but he went to New York for almost a year. I didn't know whether I was being irresponsible or having an epiphany." Usher would tell Howard Stern in 2016 that he "got a chance to see some things" while living with Combs. "I went there to see the lifestyle, and I saw it. I don't know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at," he said on Stern's show. "I had curiosity of my own. I just didn't understand it. It was pretty wild. It was crazy." Read more: Defense concedes Sean 'Diddy' Combs had violent outbursts but says no federal crimes occurred Usher said he was mostly focused on making music at the time, no matter what "curious" things might have gone on around him. So when Bieber and Usher connected, could a Combs meet be far behind? Combs and the "Baby" singer made news with an interview on Jimmy Kimmel's show after the "Justin Bieber's 48 Hrs with Diddy" video was posted on YouTube in November 2009. In the video, Combs showed Bieber a silver Lamborghini and told him, "The keys is yours, you know, when you hit 16." That was after Bieber pitched driving it right away with Combs in the passenger seat, because he had his permit. After staring at the kid for a moment, Combs simply said, "No." Then he promised him the mansion when he turned 18. Combs didn't have legal guardianship of Bieber like he did with Usher, he said, but they would be together for the next 48 hours. Read more: Sean 'Diddy' Combs case includes a charge steeped in racist history, attorneys argue "He knows better than to talk about the things that he's done with big brother Puff on national television," Combs said later in the Kimmel interview, adding, "Everything ain't for everybody." That was after he described Bieber as "a little brother" and "one of the greatest kids you could ever know" who could always call up and ask him for industry advice. The two would continue to cross paths, including at parties for Combs' vodka Ciroc, a brand the embattled mogul cut ties with in January 2024. Bieber's camp released a statement Thursday asserting that nothing untoward ever happened between the two. "Although Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him," a spokesperson for Bieber told TMZ. "Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve." The Times was unable to reach a Bieber representative Friday. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Team Bieber rejects speculation about Justin and Diddy: Care about those ‘genuinely harmed'
Amid all of Casandra Ventura's troubling testimony this week about life with Sean 'Diddy' Combs and his 'freak-off' fetish, don't be troubled thinking about what might have happened between Combs and Justin Bieber, who was launched into the mogul's circle when he was a teen. Despite persistent speculation as footage of the two together has surfaced, Team Bieber said Thursday that nothing happened. Move along, nothing to see here. The speculation comes at a time when Bieber has been worrying fans with photos showing him smoking — a shot posted Thursday had the self-declared former substance abuser sitting with a bong quite obviously in his lap — and 'It's a cult' rumors about the church he has been attending, Churchome in Beverly Hills. (Churchome pastor Judah Smith denies those rumors, by the way.) Bieber's decision in recent years to sell his catalog for $200 million is said to have been motivated by the pop star allegedly finding himself completely broke despite generating many millions for himself and others while touring. The new dad's marriage is rumored to be in trouble as well, though on Friday the Biebs tagged wife Hailey in an Instagram story showing a male lion lovingly caressing a female lion with its nose and teeth. Combs, of course, is on trial on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and more. This week in court has seen dramatic testimony from Combs' former girlfriend Cassie. But back to Bieber, who was discovered by Scooter Braun in 2008 and quickly signed to a label run by Braun and Usher. Usher was a Combs protégé who was sent by record executive and producer L.A. Reid to live with the mogul in the '90s and maybe learn a few things. The 'Yeah' singer was 15 when he moved to New York. Combs became Usher's legal guardian. Reid wrote in his 2016 tell-all memoir 'Sing to Me,' via Rolling Stone, ''Will you take this kid and teach him your swagger?' I said. 'Can you just give him some of your flavor?' And so I sent Usher to New York for what I called the 'Puffy Flavor Camp.'' He added, 'I was turning him over to the wildest party guy in the country at an age when I still needed to get his mother's permission, but he went to New York for almost a year. I didn't know whether I was being irresponsible or having an epiphany.' Usher would tell Howard Stern in 2016 that he 'got a chance to see some things' while living with Combs. 'I went there to see the lifestyle, and I saw it. I don't know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at,' he said on Stern's show. 'I had curiosity of my own. I just didn't understand it. It was pretty wild. It was crazy.' Usher said he was mostly focused on making music at the time, no matter what 'curious' things might have gone on around him. So when Bieber and Usher connected, could a Combs meet be far behind? Combs and the 'Baby' singer made news with an interview on Jimmy Kimmel's show after the 'Justin Bieber's 48 Hrs with Diddy' video was posted on YouTube in November 2009. In the video, Combs showed Bieber a silver Lamborghini and told him, 'The keys is yours, you know, when you hit 16.' That was after Bieber pitched driving it right away with Combs in the passenger seat, because he had his permit. After staring at the kid for a moment, Combs simply said, 'No.' Then he promised him the mansion when he turned 18. Combs didn't have legal guardianship of Bieber like he did with Usher, he said, but they would be together for the next 48 hours. 'He knows better than to talk about the things that he's done with big brother Puff on national television,' Combs said later in the Kimmel interview, adding, 'Everything ain't for everybody.' That was after he described Bieber as 'a little brother' and 'one of the greatest kids you could ever know' who could always call up and ask him for industry advice. The two would continue to cross paths, including at parties for Combs' vodka Ciroc, a brand the embattled mogul cut ties with in January 2024. Bieber's camp released a statement Thursday asserting that nothing untoward ever happened between the two. 'Although Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him,' a spokesperson for Bieber told TMZ. 'Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.' The Times was unable to reach a Bieber representative Friday.
