Latest news with #TheFour:BattleForStardom
Economic Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Diddy Trial: A look at music mogul Sean Combs' enormous business empire and wealth. Here's how he still earns
Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges but convicted of prostitution-related offenses. His businesses have suffered significant losses, including fashion, music and media ventures. He remains in custody, with his financial and legal future uncertain. Combs' streaming presence continues but shows mixed performance trends. FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center, May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Conviction and Charges Outcome Impact on Business Ventures Fallout After Assault Video Loss of Liquor Business Stakes Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Current Status of Bad Boy Records Public Support from Family Previous Music Contributions and Shows Risk to Combs' Wealth Streaming Music Performance Sean John and Empower Global Decline Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the well-known music producer and entrepreneur, was acquitted of federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. However, he was convicted of prostitution offenses. These legal outcomes have impacted his business interests and public image. Combs now awaits sentencing while many of his ventures face uncertainty or decline.A federal court cleared Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. He was found guilty of prostitution offenses. The charges stemmed from allegations of transporting individuals across state lines for paid sexual activity. Prosecutors said this violated the federal Mann Act. Combs remains in custody awaiting sentencing. His bail request has also been his arrest, Combs began stepping back from his ventures. He left Revolt TV , a network he helped launch in 2013. The channel focused on hip-hop, R&B, and social issues. His planned Hulu reality series was cancelled. Sean John, his fashion brand, disappeared from Macy's. These were early signs of his business empire unraveling.A video from 2016 showed Combs assaulting singer Cassie, his former girlfriend. After it surfaced, multiple institutions took action. New York City revoked his ceremonial key. Peloton removed his music from its platform. Howard University took back his honorary degree. His Harlem charter school also ended its connection with a 2023 legal settlement, Combs ended a dispute with spirits company Diageo. As a result, Diageo gained full ownership of the Ciroc and DeLeón brands. These were previously linked to Combs' business portfolio. Though he exited the alcohol business, he retained rights to his music catalog — for Boy Records, the label Combs founded, continues to operate but faces challenges. In 2023, Combs released 'The Love Album: Off the Grid,' his first solo album in nearly 20 years. It and Janelle Monáe's album, released under Bad Boy, received Grammy nominations. No new major releases have been announced Combs, Sean Combs' son, released a surprise EP with Ye (formerly Kanye West). The project, titled 'Never Stop,' was released under Goodfellas Entertainment. The release appeared to show support for Combs amid ongoing legal Boy Records backed artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, and 112. The label remained active through 2022 and supported Machine Gun Kelly's 'Mainstream Sellout.' Combs was also involved in MTV shows like 'Making the Band,' which helped launch acts like Danity Kane and Day lawsuits have been filed against Combs, including one settled with Cassie for $20 million. Many cases remain open. Prosecutors have said they might ask the court to seize Combs' assets if used in illegal acts. It is unclear what the final decision on asset forfeiture will music remains on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. From April to May 2025, his US streaming numbers rose 20%, tied to moments in the trial. In June, streams dropped slightly by 5 to 10%. Despite visibility, revenue from streaming remains low for most John, his fashion label launched in 1998, has gone quiet. It is no longer available at major stores like Macy's. Empower Global, his online marketplace for Black-owned brands, launched in 2023. It started with 70 brands but saw several leave due to weak performance and Combs' legal is unclear. Prosecutors may seek asset forfeiture, but the court has not confirmed whether this will be part of his His catalog is on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. No major streaming platform has removed or restricted access to his music.
Toronto Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, briefly shows up to support Sean 'Diddy' Combs at trial
Published Jun 13, 2025 • 2 minute read Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the L.A. premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center, May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. Photo by Willy Sanjuan / Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, briefly showed up to the New York sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Friday to support the hip-hop mogul, a longtime friend. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ye, dressed in white, arrived at Manhattan federal court before noon while the trial was on a break and spent about 40 minutes in the building. He didn't get into the main courtroom and instead observed testimony on a closed-circuit monitor in an overflow room. Asked if he was at the courthouse to support Combs, he responded 'yes' and nodded. He then hustled to an elevator and did not appear to respond when a reporter asked if he might testify on Combs' behalf when the defence begins presenting its case as early as next week. Ye didn't answer further questions as he left the courthouse, walking past reporters and TV cameras, and ducked into a waiting black Mercedes sedan. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges alleging that he used his fame, fortune and violence to commit crimes over a 20-year period. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ye's appearance at the courthouse came a day after a woman identified in court only by the pseudonym 'Jane' finished six days of testimony. She testified that during a relationship with Combs that stretched from 2021 until his arrest last September at a Manhattan hotel, she felt coerced into having sex with male sex workers while Combs watched. Defence attorneys have argued that Combs committed no crimes and that federal prosecutors were trying to police consensual sex that occurred between adults. On Thursday, Jane testified that during a three-month break in her relationship with Combs, she flew to Las Vegas in January 2023 with a famous rapper who was close friends with Combs. Prior to Jane's testimony on the subject, lawyers and the judge conducted a lengthy hearing out of public view to discuss what could be divulged about the January trip. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jane was asked if the rapper she accompanied along with the rapper's girlfriend was 'an individual at the top of the music industry as well … an icon in the music industry.' 'Yes,' Jane replied. Once in Las Vegas, Jane testified, she went with a group including the rapper to dinner, a strip club and a hotel room party, where a sex worker had sex with a woman while a half-dozen others watched. She said there was dancing and the rapper said, 'hey beautiful,' and told her he'd always wanted to have sex with her in crude terms. Jane said she didn't recall exactly when, but she flashed her breasts while dancing. Read More Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA Columnists
Toronto Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Jury selection in Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial proceeds for second day
Published May 06, 2025 • 1 minute read Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center, May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. Photo by Willy Sanjuan / Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Jury selection resumed for a second day in the sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs as a federal judge and lawyers worked Tuesday to find a dozen New Yorkers who believe they can be fair despite any opinions they may have developed about the music mogul. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Prosecutors say Combs exploited his fame and fortune to sexually abuse women and destroy young lives while defense attorneys say he engaged in sexual activity with consenting adults. The majority of prospective jurors questioned on Tuesday morning were disqualified after lawyers for Combs and prosecutors cited flaws in their answers to questions designed to see if they can be fair and unbiased. Several who were eliminated from the jury pool had seen or heard media reports related to the case, including some who said they saw a video in which Combs was hitting and kicking one of his accusers in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. But one man who had written on a questionnaire that the video left him with the 'impression of an angry hostile person who is entitled' was not dismissed from the jury pool. After the video aired on CNN last year, Combs apologized, saying, 'I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Judge Arun Subramanian was seeking to build a pool of 45 prospective jurors from which a panel of 12 jurors and several alternates can be chosen. Nineteen were chosen on Monday and six more by noon Tuesday. Opening statements are scheduled to be presented on March 12 for a trial projected to last up to two months. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment charging him with leading a racketeering conspiracy from 2004 to 2024 that resulted in various crimes, including kidnapping, arson, bribery and sex trafficking. The Bad Boy Records founder has been held without bail since his arrest at a Manhattan hotel last September. Toronto Maple Leafs Canada Editorial Cartoons Toronto Blue Jays MLB
9 News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 9 News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set to begin with jury selection
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Sean "Diddy" Combs , the hip-hop entrepreneur whose wildly successful career has been dotted by allegations of violence, has been brought to a New York courthouse to be tried on charges that he used the influence and resources of his business empire to sexually abuse women. Jury selection was scheduled to begin in the morning and potentially take several days, with opening statements by the lawyers and the start of testimony expected next week. Judge Arun Subramanian started the proceedings shortly after 9am (11pm AEST) on Monday by making several rulings on what things experts would be allowed to testify about when they take the witness stand. Sean "Diddy" Combs pictured in 2017. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters/File via CNN Newsource) The 17-page indictment against Combs reads like a charging document filed against a Mafia leader or the head of a drug gang, accusing him of engaging in sex trafficking and presiding over a racketeering conspiracy. The indictment says that with the help of people in his entourage and employees from his network of businesses, Combs engaged in a two-decade pattern of abusive behaviour against women and others. Women were manipulated into participating in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers that Combs called "Freak Offs", prosecutors say. To keep women in line, prosecutors say Combs used a mix of influence and violence: He offered to boost their entertainment careers if they did what he asked — or cut them off if they didn't. And when he wasn't getting what he wanted, the indictment says Combs and his associates resorted to violent acts including beatings, kidnapping and arson. Once, the indictment alleges, he even dangled someone from a balcony. Combs and his lawyers say he is innocent. Any group sex was consensual, they say. There was no effort to coerce people into things they didn't want to do, and nothing that happened amounted to a criminal racket, they say. Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of The Four: Battle For Stardom on May 30, 2018. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File) The trial is expected to take at least eight weeks. Combs, 55, has acknowledged one episode of violence that is likely to be featured in the trial. In 2016, a security camera recorded him beating up his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Cassie filed a lawsuit in late 2023 saying Combs had subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, did. Combs' attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has said Combs was "not a perfect person" and that there had been drug use and toxic relationships, but said all sexual activity between Combs, Cassie and other people was consensual. The trial is the latest and most serious in a long string of legal problems for Combs. If convicted, he faces the possibility of decades in prison. In 1999 he was charged with bursting into the offices of an Interscope Records executive with his bodyguards and beating him with a champagne bottle and a chair. The executive, Steve Stoute, later asked prosecutors to go easy on Combs, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and took an anger management class. Later that same year, Combs was stopped by police after he and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, fled a nightclub where three people were wounded by gunfire. Combs was acquitted of all charges related to the episode at a 2001 trial, but a rapper in his entourage, Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, was convicted in the shooting and served nearly nine years in prison. Then in 2015, Combs was charged with assaulting someone with a weight-room kettlebell at the University of California, Los Angeles, where one of his sons played football. Combs said he was defending himself and prosecutors dropped the case. CONTACT US
Toronto Sun
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Timeline of rise and fall of hitmaker Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Published May 04, 2025 • 4 minute read Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center, May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. Photo by Willy Sanjuan / Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But U.S. prosecutors say that behind the scenes, Combs was coercing and abusing women with help from a network of associates who helped silence victims through blackmail and violence. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations. Jury selection for his trial starts Monday. Here is a timeline of major events in his rise and fall: 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. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sean 'Diddy' Combs onstage during the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images 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. 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 honour of his slain star. 1998: Combs wins two Grammys, one for best rap album 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. RECOMMENDED VIDEO 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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. 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.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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. Sean 'Diddy' Combs hosts a party at the Wet Republic pool at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino Sept. 19, 2009 in Las Vegas. Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images for Wet Republic 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: Combs is arrested after a confrontation at UCLA in Los Angeles, where one of his sons played football. Assault charges are later dropped. 2016: Combs launches the Capital Preparatory School charter school in Harlem. 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 mother of three of his children, dies from pneumonia at age 47. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 2022: Combs receives a lifetime honour at the BET Awards. September, 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. Sean 'Diddy' Combs, wearing a fur coat, walks down the sideline during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, Sunday, March 12, 2017, in New York. Photo by Kathy Willens / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 17, 2024: CNN airs video that shows Combs attacking and beating Cassie in a hotel hallway in Los Angeles 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 is scheduled to begin for Combs' trial. Sports Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
